The series of consequences triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about resilience to major crises. The pandemic disrupted societies at multiple scales via networks of trade, finance, mobility and communication. However, these complex systems can also facilitate resilience if managed effectively. This is true for the current pandemic as well as other global disruptions, like climate change 

An article published in collaboration with our sister project CASCADES, looked at what Europe can learn from COVID-19 and how it can help us prepare for climate risks. After analysing the lessons learned, we formulated 3 commendations: 

  1. Acknowledge that climate change has an impact on the entire system 
  1. Accept the limitations of predicting impacts, and embrace adaptive risk management strategies 
  1. Build up resilience at various, interconnected levels 

Our research shows that developing resilience and creating incentives are crucial to allowing networks of government, market actors and civil society to work together to find timely, flexible, and workable solutions. 

Do you want to delve deeper into this subject? Then do read the full publication

Published on : 14 January 2022