Polycrisis Resilience This Century (2000–2100)

Polycrisis Resilience this Century presents a century-scale framework for understanding and reducing humanity’s exposure to interconnected global risks through the year 2100. The framework argues that resilience to the modern polycrisis cannot be achieved through isolated disaster-response strategies alone, but instead requires accelerating the underlying drivers of long-term societal resilience: economic convergence, technological advancement, innovation diffusion, clean energy transitions, and institutional development. These five mutually reinforcing mechanisms are proposed as the foundational pillars through which societies can reduce vulnerability to climate change, health threats, resource insecurity, economic instability, and other cascading disruptions. The monograph organizes the 21st century into three strategic epochs: Foundations (2000–2025), the Critical Convergence Window (2025–2050), and Long-Term Survivability (2050–2100). It contends that the period from 2025 to 2050 represents a decisive interval during which technological diffusion and sustainable development must outpace escalating environmental and economic risks. The framework emphasizes technological leapfrogging, clean infrastructure deployment, digital public systems, frontier technologies, and poverty reduction as mechanisms for transforming vulnerable populations into resilient and adaptive societies.A central contribution of the framework is the concept of “development as proactive risk mitigation,” which repositions development economics as a primary instrument of human survivability rather than solely an economic objective. By reducing structural disparities and strengthening institutional, technological, and material capacities across nations, the framework argues that humanity can build systemic resilience, lower cumulative suffering, and enhance global stability. Looking beyond mid-century, the work advances a vision of planetary homeostasis characterized by circular economies, advanced technological stewardship, ecological restoration, and long-term governance institutions designed to operate within planetary boundaries while sustaining human flourishing.

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Publication Details

Journal
Figshare
Published
2026-11-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.34919277
Primary Topic
Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
Type
preprint
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preprint

Polycrisis Resilience This Century (2000–2100)

Hunter Hughes
3 links
Figshare
Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
preprint

Polycrisis Resilience This Century (2000–2100)

Hunter Hughes
preprint en

Abstract

Polycrisis Resilience this Century presents a century-scale framework for understanding and reducing humanity’s exposure to interconnected global risks through the year 2100. The framework argues that resilience to the modern polycrisis cannot be achieved through isolated disaster-response strategies alone, but instead requires accelerating the underlying drivers of long-term societal resilience: economic convergence, technological advancement, innovation diffusion, clean energy transitions, and institutional development. These five mutually reinforcing mechanisms are proposed as the foundational pillars through which societies can reduce vulnerability to climate change, health threats, resource insecurity, economic instability, and other cascading disruptions. The monograph organizes the 21st century into three strategic epochs: Foundations (2000–2025), the Critical Convergence Window (2025–2050), and Long-Term Survivability (2050–2100). It contends that the period from 2025 to 2050 represents a decisive interval during which technological diffusion and sustainable development must outpace escalating environmental and economic risks. The framework emphasizes technological leapfrogging, clean infrastructure deployment, digital public systems, frontier technologies, and poverty reduction as mechanisms for transforming vulnerable populations into resilient and adaptive societies.A central contribution of the framework is the concept of “development as proactive risk mitigation,” which repositions development economics as a primary instrument of human survivability rather than solely an economic objective. By reducing structural disparities and strengthening institutional, technological, and material capacities across nations, the framework argues that humanity can build systemic resilience, lower cumulative suffering, and enhance global stability. Looking beyond mid-century, the work advances a vision of planetary homeostasis characterized by circular economies, advanced technological stewardship, ecological restoration, and long-term governance institutions designed to operate within planetary boundaries while sustaining human flourishing.

Figshare
Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
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