Speaker
Description
Scholars increasingly point out that the multiple current crises build up toward a global polycrisis. Yet what exactly are its components? How are crises interlinked, and what are its ultimate drivers? A systematic mapping of the polycrisis seems essential for finding a way out. Based on the literature and iterative discussions we identified eight global crises: climate change; biodiversity loss; water insecurity and contamination; a human health crisis; food insecurity; an inequ(al)ity crisis; malfunctioning financial systems; and democratic backsliding. We further distilled five nexus elements (nexi) that indirectly link the crises: land- and sea-use change; land- and soil-degradation; emissions and pollution; unhealthy diets; and social unrest and armed conflicts.
Through two expert surveys we mapped the links among the crises and nexi (n=54), and identified ultimate drivers (n=30). We found that most crises are directly linked to one another, reinforcing and exacerbating each other, implying that we need to address the polycrisis in its entirety. Climate affects all other crises most strongly, while human health and inequ(al)ity are most impacted. The nexi are linked to all eight crises, with armed conflicts, and land degradation, having the greatest impacts. The experts identified two ultimate drivers: our prevailing, growth-oriented economic system; and our prevailing norms and values.
Political and societal responses that focus on single crises separately, bear the risks of failing to address the polycrisis, accelerating it or even generating new risks or crises. We highlight the challenges of addressing the ultimate drivers, requiring out-of-the-box solutions to overcome challenges such as societal and economic lock-ins. We call for societal, political and economic actors to act jointly, on the basis of robust science, to secure the future for Earth’s inhabitants.
| Status Group | Senior Scientist |
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