Note from CSR and CCS Co-Founder on Ten Years of Combating the Greatest Systemic Threats of Our Time

The author, a co-founder of the Center for Climate and Security (CCS) and the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR), outlines five principles for managing systemic global threats. These include acknowledging that unprecedented ecological disruption has fundamentally altered the geopolitical landscape, resisting the compartmentalization of converging threats such as climate change, nuclear weapons, and ethnonationalism, and utilizing modern foresight tools to fulfill a 'Responsibility to Prepare and Prevent'. The author emphasizes the need for systemic resilience to unforeseen shocks and the importance of interpersonal kindness in professional spheres.

• Climate change and ecological disruption have fundamentally changed the geopolitical environment, meaning historical precedents are insufficient for managing current risks. While reducing emissions is vital, adaptation is necessary because significant risks are already 'locked in'.
• Global security threats are interconnected and cascade into one another; for example, climate change impacts food and water security, which leads to displacement and conflict, potentially fueling ethnonationalist movements. These issues must be addressed holistically rather than compartmentalized.
• The availability of advanced tools, such as climate models and conflict prediction methods, creates a 'Responsibility to Prepare and Prevent', implying a moral duty to act when threats are foreseeable.
• Systems must be redesigned to be resilient to unforeseen shocks and low-probability events, as foresight is not absolute and unexpected political shifts, such as the rise of ethnonationalism, can hinder climate action and international alliances.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2021). Note from CSR and CCS Co-Founder on Ten Years of Combating the Greatest Systemic Threats of Our Time. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/02/18/note-from-csr-and-ccs-co-founder-on-ten-years-of-combating-the-greatest-systemic-threats-of-our-time/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Note from CSR and CCS Co-Founder on Ten Years of Combating the Greatest Systemic Threats of Our Time. 2021. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/02/18/note-from-csr-and-ccs-co-founder-on-ten-years-of-combating-the-greatest-systemic-threats-of-our-time/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Note from CSR and CCS Co-Founder on Ten Years of Combating the Greatest Systemic Threats of Our Time |date=18 February 2021 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/02/18/note-from-csr-and-ccs-co-founder-on-ten-years-of-combating-the-greatest-systemic-threats-of-our-time/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2021note, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Note from CSR and CCS Co-Founder on Ten Years of Combating the Greatest Systemic Threats of Our Time}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/02/18/note-from-csr-and-ccs-co-founder-on-ten-years-of-combating-the-greatest-systemic-threats-of-our-time/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }