ABSTRACT
The rapid industrialization and economic growth of the twentieth century brought tremendous progress – life expectancy doubled and billions of people are no longer living in poverty. With this progress, however, new risks and vulnerabilities have also come to the fore. Exponential population growth and the burgeoning middle and urban classes are rapidly driving up the demand for water, food and energy, severely straining our natural resources and creating new sources of tension or confl ict. Our hyper-connected economy and globalized supply chains have become more susceptible to vulnerability and shocks. At the same time, climate variability and change dramatically increase temperature, shift precipitation patterns and raise sea levels, adding additional layers of complexity and uncertainty.
