April 10, 2023

Avi Shnurr, EIS Council CEO and President

Our civilization is at risk. What can we/I do about it?

Global pandemic, food shortages, climate change, species die off – it’s easy to find doomsayers everywhere these days, pointing to a rather terrifying convergence of disasters. Unfortunately, this time “chicken little” appears to be right. 

The Interdependency Crisis: The new threat to civilization continuity

On top of these crises, perhaps the greatest and most immediate threat to our civilization has received the least attention: our tech-driven infrastructures and supply chains have become tightly interdependent. Serious disruption in any major sector, in any major nation is likely to quickly cascade to shut down all our interconnected infrastructures, propagating to become a global catastrophe. 

If we haven’t prepared our newly interdependent world properly in advance, if and when we are hit by an out-of-control cyber-attack / EMP strike / extreme solar storm / high morbidity pandemic or some other nightmare, it will be far too late to save ourselves.

But frankly, I’m willing to bet that you – like me – are more than tired of hearing predictions of global catastrophe that feel inevitable. 

If we can’t do anything about it, what’s the point?

So here’s the good news. 

Today’s unprecedented global focus on global-scale problems suggests that, just perhaps, we humans now realize there’s only one way to preserve our future: by working together. And okay, global efforts today on worldwide problems are far from perfect. But recognition that we need to work together is the key. And that is happening. 

That is new, and encouraging.

And timely. With the infrastructures that keep us alive all tightly connected, our civilization’s continuity depends on our ability to add this “interdependency crisis” to the list of global challenges, and to begin working on it. 

Together.

Can we do it? 

In one week on the campus of Imperial College London, leaders from around the world are coming together in the Resilient Renewable Planet (R2P) Conference. They will be launching a new project designed to do exactly that. 

The Human Continuity Project™

Building worldwide collaboration to put in place the tools our civilization will need to survive coming hazards, no matter how severe. 

There’s room for everyone, for every organization, every corporation and every government agency, worldwide. Join us, either there or online. We’ll talk together about how to get this done. 

And after the conference, there will be work to do. For everyone. Every person with the imagination to recognize the risk, and the commitment to get involved to help do something about it.

To work together, to sustain our future.