Societal collapse has been a recurrent phenomena throughout history. It is usually marked by state failure, political fragmentation, and the relatively rapid and ensuring loss of economic capital. For a future collapse, this could include the widespread and persistent loss of industrialisation. A potent mix of societal vulnerabilities, hazards such as pandemics and climate change, and poor responses could lead to a modern collapse. The global systems that many people rely on would fragment and fail. This could trigger severe suffering and losses of welfare.
How likely a collapse is, what are the key contributors, what the precise short-term and long-term impacts would be, and what policies can mitigate the risks of collapse are all important questions. These could all be illuminated through historical as well as forward-looking research.
