

What we mean by global threats

Global threats have the potential to kill or debilitate very large numbers of people or cause significant economic or social dislocation or paralysis throughout the world. Global threats cannot be solved by any one country; they require some sort of a collective response. Global threats are often non-linear, and are likely to become exponentially more difficult to manage if we don’t begin making serious strides in the right direction in the next 5-10 years.

Cross-cutting focus

We believe global threats share causes, challenges and, potentially, cures. We primarily seek to identify and address complex challenges common to multiple global threats. Crosscutting areas that we believe could help society manage these threats include:

  • Communication:  Promote better understanding of uncertainty and risk at every level of discourse, public to political.
  • Governance:  Develop more competent governance, including both formal functioning structures as well as formal and informal networks.
  • Engagement:  Create new coalitions and facilitate better coordination of actors of all kinds across multiple sectors, with a special focus on “strange bedfellows.”
  • Information:  Enable access to and promote transparency in data, processes, and financial flows around global threats to facilitate informed decision making.
  • Innovation:  Promote innovations in models, technology, or approaches (including incentivizing for long-term thinking).

Our approach
