2021 Articles

Compound risks and complex emergencies require new approaches to preparedness

Kruczkiewicz, Andrew J.; Klopp, Jacqueline M.; Fisher, Joshua D.; Mason, Simon J.; Sheekh, N. M.; Moss, Richard; Braneon, Christian; Parks, Robbie M.

Increasingly, we face compounding and interrelated environmental, socioeconomic, and political crises. Yet our approaches to these problems are often siloed, fragmented, and inadequate. The current pandemic, for instance, continues to collide with a number of other threats to human life and livelihoods. These include violent conflicts, displacement, insect swarms, droughts, heat waves, and structural inequality in the form of racism and gender discrimination. We believe we are at a critical juncture, faced with a need and responsibility to redesign institutions to be proactive, agile, and socially just when confronted with increasingly likely compound risks.