Misplaced Pages

This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (January 2025)

Polycrisis (from the French polycrise or poly-crise), a term originally coined by French philosopher and sociologist Edgar Morin in his 1993 book Terre-Patrie, describes a complex situation where multiple, interconnected crises converge and amplify each other, resulting in a predicament that is difficult to manage or resolve. Unlike single crises that may have clearer causes and solutions, a polycrisis involves overlapping and interdependent issues, making it a more pervasive and enduring state of instability. This concept reflects growing concerns about the sustainability and viability of contemporary socio-economic, political, and ecological systems.

Although the term was first introduced in the 1990s, it became widely popular in the 2020s to refer to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, war, surging debt levels, inflation, climate change, resource depletion, growing inequality, artificial intelligence and synthetic biology, and democratic backsliding.

Critics of the term have characterized it as a buzzword or a distraction from more concrete causes of the crises, suggesting that it may obscure specific, actionable problems and create a sense of overwhelming complexity that could hinder effective responses.

Background and Historical Context

The term polycrisis was first introduced by French philosopher and sociologist Edgar Morin in his 1993 book Terre-Patrie, co-authored with Anne-Brigitte Kern (and translated into English as Homeland Earth: A Manifesto for the New Millennium in 1999). Morin's thinking drew on emerging concepts in complexity science and systems theory, emphasizing that modern challenges—economic, ecological, social, and cultural—cannot be treated in isolation. He argued that these crises interweave and amplify each other, creating a cascading effect if addressed piecemeal rather than holistically.

Morin developed his formulation during a period of significant geopolitical change following the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet bloc. The rapid expansion of economic globalization further underscored how deeply interconnected national economies and infrastructures had become, making societies more vulnerable to disruptions that could quickly escalate from local incidents to international crises. During this same era, attention to environmental risks surged—spurred in part by publications like The Limits to Growth (1972)—and concerns about the ozone layer and climate change highlighted humanity's dependence on finite planetary resources.

The interconnectedness of these crises means that solutions in one area can often lead to unintended consequences in another, creating a feedback loop that exacerbates the overall situation. As Morin noted, this web of interlinked crises reflects a deeper structural vulnerability within socio-economic, political, and ecological systems.

Although Morin's concept initially remained somewhat peripheral, it gained renewed traction in the early 21st century as scholars and institutions began observing multiple, overlapping crises in real time—spanning financial upheavals, geopolitical tensions, climate disruption, rising inequality, and public health emergencies. By the 2020s, the term polycrisis became more widely recognized, pointing to the idea that modern crises are not merely simultaneous but structurally interlinked, reinforcing one another into a durable state of global instability.

Advocates of the polycrisis framework stress the need for systemic and integrated approaches that move beyond traditional problem-solving methods. As humanity grapples with the compounding effects of these interconnected crises, the recognition of a polycrisis signals both the scale of the challenge and the potential for new forms of collaborative, sustainable solutions.

Components

Ecological overshoot & limits to growth

The concept of polycrisis aligns with the warnings issued in the Limits to Growth report, which suggested that unchecked economic growth and resource consumption would eventually surpass the Earth's carrying capacity. Human ecological overshoot—using resources faster than they can be replenished—has led to environmental degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss, which in turn threaten the stability and continuity of human societies.

Socio-political instability

During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it has become increasingly evident that liberal democracies exhibit stark internal contradictions, such as that of egalitarian ideals versus imperialistic practices, which undermine their legitimacy as leaders of the "rules-based" liberal international order. The rise of right-wing populism and the erosion of the Western social contract reflect a growing popular dissatisfaction with the political and economic systems in the West. These political shifts are often fueled by economic inequalities, perceived threats to national identity and social status, and disillusionment with traditional political elites.

Technological & economic disparities

The concentration of wealth and power among a small elite, as highlighted in works like Douglas Rushkoff's Survival of the Richest, contributes to the polycrisis by exacerbating social inequalities and undermining potential collective action to address the issues. The increasing gap between the wealthy and the rest of society raises questions about the sustainability of current economic models and the fairness of technological advancements that primarily benefit the elite.

Philosophical & existential dimensions

The polycrisis also involves a deeper, philosophical reckoning with humanity's place in the world. As articulated in Vanessa Machado de Oliveira's Hospicing Modernity, there is a small but growing awareness of the limits of human control and the need to accept ecological and biological realities. This fundamentally challenges the anthropocentric and individualistic narratives that have historically underpinned Western thought.

Typologies of Interconnected Crises

Several scholars distinguish between different forms or “layers” of crisis within the broader polycrisis framework. These typologies highlight how crises vary in scope, duration, and structural impact, yet often overlap to create more complex systemic challenges.

Permacrisis

A permacrisis refers to a prolonged state of instability where crises do not fully resolve but become quasi-permanent conditions. This term has been used to describe enduring situations such as chronic socioeconomic inequalities, continuous environmental degradation, or a perceived global democratic decline. Because permacrises tend to normalize persistent disruption, they can engender fatigue among institutions and the public, reducing both the political will and the societal capacity to enact long-term solutions.

Metacrisis

A metacrisis affects the foundational paradigms and cultural narratives of societies, including their core political, economic, or philosophical frameworks. Unlike a localized or sector-specific disturbance, a metacrisis calls into question the legitimacy or viability of prevailing systems. Examples include systemic critiques of liberal democracy or neoliberal capitalism—sparked by the perceived contradictions between egalitarian ideals and real-world exploitative practices—and philosophical reckonings with anthropocentrism, which challenge humanity's self-image relative to nature. Because metacrises require rethinking overarching worldviews, they are not easily addressed by policy or technical fixes, often necessitating deeper cultural and ethical shifts.

Systemic Crisis

Systemic crises disrupt entire systems—economic, ecological, infrastructural—and commonly have rapid spillover effects across multiple domains. Examples include global supply chain collapses, as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where disruptions in one region triggered shortages worldwide; or acute energy shocks linked to geopolitical tensions, which may ripple across global markets, fueling inflation and social unrest. Systemic crises highlight the interdependencies of contemporary networks, where failures in one node can quickly cascade through others.

Global Polycrisis

An extension of the polycrisis concept, the global polycrisis emphasizes worldwide entanglements that transcend local or national boundaries. While Edgar Morin introduced the initial idea of multiple, interlinked crises in the 1990s (see Terre-Patrie 1993), later authors refined and formalized the notion throughout the 2000s and 2010s. For example, Boudewijn R. Haverkort (2009) used the term “global polycrisis” to describe interconnected ecological, social, and economic stressors, advocating for transdisciplinary perspectives. Silent Taurayi (2011) analyzed how climate, energy, and food crises intersect, proposing agroecological strategies to enhance resilience. Mark Swilling (2013) explored how long-wave economic cycles and environmental pressures intertwine to generate large-scale vulnerabilities. More recently, researchers at the Cascade Institute, such as Thomas Homer-Dixon, have warned of amplified feedback loops between natural and social systems, calling for an international research agenda on global polycrisis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent disruptions, the concept of global polycrisis gained traction among think tanks and international agencies. Reports from institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme connected this framework to the challenges of the Anthropocene, including climate change, pandemics, and technological risks. Economists like Adam Tooze popularized the term by showing how health emergencies, economic shutdowns, and political fractures reinforce each other, fueling novel forms of crisis on a planetary scale. As a result, the global polycrisis concept not only captures the magnitude of intertwined threats facing humanity but also underscores the need for unprecedented levels of cooperation, systemic thinking, and institutional reform.

Responses & criticism

Critics of the polycrisis narrative argue that it can lead to fatalism and inaction, suggesting instead a focus on practical, incremental changes that can build resilience and adaptability.

Various thought leaders and figureheads in the technology space have aligned themselves with effective accelerationism and have forcefully critiqued concepts related to the polycrisis, arguing that the way to solve most, if not all, of the problems facing humanity is through further economic growth and the acceleration of tech development and deployment. In 2023, venture capitalist and tech magnate Marc Andreessen published the Techno-Optimist Manifesto, arguing that technology is what creates wealth and happiness.

Our enemies are not bad people – but rather bad ideas.

Our present society has been subjected to a mass demoralization campaign for six decades – against technology and against life – under varying names like “existential risk”, “sustainability”, “ESG”, “Sustainable Development Goals”, “social responsibility”, “stakeholder capitalism”, “Precautionary Principle”, “trust and safety”, “tech ethics”, “risk management”, “de-growth”, “the limits of growth”.

Various scholars and thought leaders have proposed different frameworks for understanding and responding to the polycrisis. Some advocate for a radical rethinking of modernity and a transition towards more sustainable and equitable ways of living. This includes adopting ecological wisdom from Indigenous cultures, reimagining economic systems, and embracing a deeper connection with the natural world.

See also

• Polycrise — French Misplaced Pages article on the concept
• Anthropocene
• Dilemma
• Ecological crisis
• Ecological economics
• Ecospirituality
• Ethnoecology
• Indigenous science
• Social trap
• Tragedy of the commons

References

1. ^ Morin, Edgar; Kerne, Anne Brigitte (1993). Terre-Patrie (in French). Paris: Éditions du Seuil. ISBN 2-02-012653-2.
2. Helleiner, Eric (2024). "Economic Globalization's Polycrisis". International Studies Quarterly. 68 (2). doi:10.1093/isq/sqae024.
3. Tooze, Adam (2022). "Welcome to the world of the polycrisis". www.ft.com.
4. Albert, Michael J. (2024). Navigating the Polycrisis: Mapping the Futures of Capitalism and the Earth. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-54775-8.
5. Lawrence, Michael; Homer-Dixon, Thomas; Janzwood, Scott; Rockstöm, Johan; Renn, Ortwin; Donges, Jonathan F. (2024). "Global polycrisis: the causal mechanisms of crisis entanglement". Global Sustainability. 7: e6. doi:10.1017/sus.2024.1. ISSN 2059-4798.
6. Homer-Dixon, Thomas (2023-10-18). "Why so much is going wrong at the same time". Vox.
7. ^ Drezner, Daniel (2023-01-28). "Are we headed toward a "polycrisis"? The buzzword of the moment, explained". Vox.
8. "The case for polycrisis as a keyword of our interconnected times | Aeon Essays". Aeon. 2023.
9. Lawrence, Michael Murray (2022-12-11). "'Polycrisis' may be a buzzword, but it could help us tackle the world's woes". The Conversation.
10. Morin, Edgar; Kern, Anne Brigitte (1999). Homeland Earth: A Manifesto for the New Millennium. Translated by Kelly, Sean; LaPointe, Roger. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. ISBN 9781572732483.
11. Meadows, Donella H; Meadows, Dennis L; Randers, Jørgen; Behrens III, William W (1972). The Limits to Growth; A Report for the Club of Rome's Project on the Predicament of Mankind. New York: Universe Books. ISBN 0876631650. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
12. ^ Herrington, Gaya (August 2024). "Update to limits to growth: Comparing the World3 model with empirical data". Journal of Industrial Ecology. 25 (3): 614–626. Bibcode:2021JInEc..25..614H. doi:10.1111/jiec.13084. ISSN 1088-1980. S2CID 226019712., published online 03 Nov 2020
13. Park MacDougald, New York Magazine, Has the Operating System for the Western World Crashed?, February 27, 2018
14. Gray, John. "From Rationalism to Ressentiment." Literary Review issue 449 (Dec 2016-Jan 2017). Retrieved from LiteraryReview.co.uk on 2024-08-24.
15. Robert Kuttner, Blaming Liberalism, New York Review of Books, November 21, 2019
16. Rushkoff, Douglas (2022). Survival of the richest: escape fantasies of the tech billionaires. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-88106-6.
17. Machado de Oliveira, Vanessa (2021). Hospicing modernity: facing humanity's wrongs and the implications for social activism. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-1-62317-624-2.
18. Haverkort, Boudewijn R. (2009). "Towards Co-evolution of Different Ways of Believing". Religion and sustainable development: opportunities and challenges for higher education. Nijmegen studies in development and cultural change. Lit. ISBN 978-3-643-90017-3.
19. Taurayi, Silent (2011). An investigation of natuurboerdery (natural farming) approach: a ZZ2 case study (PDF) (MPhil thesis). Stellenbosch, South Africa: Stellenbosch University.
20. Swilling, Mark (March 2013). Economic crisis, long waves and the sustainability transition: An African perspective. Vol. 6. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. pp. 96–115. doi:10.1016/j.eist.2012.11.001.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
21. Baylon, Caroline; Robele, Sophia (August 2022). Polycrisis and Long-term Thinking: Reimagining Development in Asia and the Pacific. New York: UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
22. Tooze, Adam (2021). Shutdown: How COVID Shook the World’s Economy. London: Penguin. ISBN 9780141995458.

• Crisis