Category Archives: Polycrisis

Google AI: A polycrisis is a single situation where multiple, distinct global crises occur simultaneously and interact in ways that amplify each other, making the overall damage significantly worse than the sum of its individual parts. Instead of dealing with isolated, sequential emergencies, a polycrisis features intersecting networks of stress across economic, geopolitical, ecological, and technological systems.
Core Characteristics
Causal Entanglement: A crisis in one system (e.g., a geopolitical conflict) directly triggers or worsens a crisis in another system (e.g., energy prices and global food supply chains).
Feedback Loops: The compounding effects bounce back and forth between systems, creating highly volatile and unpredictable domino effects.
Systemic Overwhelm: Because the crises are deeply linked, they cannot be successfully resolved one at a time, frequently paralyzing traditional governance and risk-management strategies

Phytoplankton have declined 40%: they provide food and oxygen for all creatures on Earth

Posted on July 13, 2013 by

This article from NewScientist discusses how phytoplankton are disappearing — and they provide half of the food animals both in the ocean and on land depend on, plus produce a great deal of the oxygen we breathe. Throw in overfishing, … Continue reading →

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Laughing Gas — nitrous oxide — could deplete ozone and cook the planet

Posted on July 11, 2013 by

2 Sep 2009. Laughing gas set to deplete the ozone layer. NewScientist. 28 August 2009. Lisa Grossman. Laughing gas is biggest threat to ozone layer. NewScientist. 21 July 2012. Michael Marshall.  Laughing gas may cook the planet. NewScientist. The ozone … Continue reading →

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Climate change concentrates toxins in plants – bad news for herbivores

Posted on July 11, 2013 by

Michael Marshall. June 1, 2012. Climate change will create a toxic brew for herbivores. NewScientist. A warmer world could lead to more concentrated and higher levels of toxins in plants.  Herbivorous animals are also less able to process toxins when … Continue reading →

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Dying seagrass is releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide

Posted on July 11, 2013 by

23 May 2012. Mowing down seagrass meadows will cut loose carbon. NewScientist. SEagrass has as much carbon as the world’s forests and the carbon dioxide contained in them could be released as they are dying off from water pollution, dredging, … Continue reading →

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Oil and Gas infrastructure are falling apart

Posted on July 11, 2013 by

Beneath Cities, a Decaying Tangle of Gas Pipes March 23, 2014. Patrick McGeehan et al. New York Times It is a danger hidden beneath the streets of New York City, unseen and rarely noticed: 6,302 miles of pipes transporting natural … Continue reading →

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Asian medicine a major cause of biodiversity loss

Posted on July 8, 2013 by

I haven’t noticed any shortage of people in China – what a tragedy the men there feel like they need to eat endangered animal penises, and for the government not to stop it. 6 Mar 2003. S. Malik et al. … Continue reading →

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Only you can prevent wildfires: write FEMA by June 17, 2013

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

If you’d like to prevent another wildfire, I encourage you to write FEMA or go to the meeting tomorrow, May 18th at 10 am – see http://claremontcanyon.org/ for details on where to send a letter and meeting place. A great … Continue reading →

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Why we might not go extinct from fossil fuel emissions

Posted on May 3, 2013 by

Peak Fossils means Peak Emissions and the lowest to medium IPCC projections at worst This is an overview, other posts in this category contain peer-reviewed papers that show why this is true.  The heart of the problem is that the … Continue reading →

Posted in But not from climate change: Peak Fossil Fuels | 1 Comment

Oil Production Fueled Population Growth and Food Production

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

As oil exponentially declines, so will population and food. 1994. Elaine M. Murphy. World Population: Toward the Next Century, © 1994 by the Population Reference Bureau, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 520, Washington, DC, 20009. Property of Population Reference Bureau, … Continue reading →

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Humanity will need 27 planet Earths by 2050, a new study estimates.

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

Stephen Leahy. 3 Aug 2011.  Data Shows All of Earth’s Systems in Rapid Decline. Inter Press Service. Overpopulation is causing huge losses in biodiversity, and ‘protected areas’ such as national parks aren’t working. UXBRIDGE, Canada, Jul 29 (IPS) – Protecting … Continue reading →

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