Understanding polycrisis: definitions, applications, and responses

Abstract Non-Technical Summary The term ‘polycrisis’ is gaining attention among academics, policymakers, and the public. Unlike a single crisis, a polycrisis involves complex, interconnected risks across multiple regions and systems, often including ecological factors. This interconnectedness heightens the chances of widespread adverse outcomes or disasters, affecting various systems and triggering cascading effects. The article examines how traditional disaster studies concepts must be adapted for the polycrisis context and places historical events on a spectrum of such critical moments. It concludes with recommendations for communities to build resilience and respond democratically to these challenges. Technical Summary The term ‘polycrisis’ has entered the lexicon of a growing circle of academics, policymakers, and the public. Polycrisis is a state that encompasses a complex set of risks characterized by multiple, macroregional, and often ecologically embedded linkages between inexorably interconnected systems. The article reevaluates disaster studies concepts within this polycrisis framework, locates historical events along a spectrum of such moments, and offers recommendations for democratic resilience. Social Media Summary Discover how the term ‘polycrisis’ redefines our understanding of interconnected risks and informs new disaster response methods.