Apocalypse Now?
Initial Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic for the Governance of Existential and Global Catastrophic Risks
In: Journal of International Humanitarian Legal StudiesSearch for other papers by Hin-Yan Liu in
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Abstract
This paper explores the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic through the framework of existential risks – a class of extreme risks that threaten the entire future of humanity. In doing so, we tease out three lessons: (1) possible reasons underlying the limits and shortfalls of international law, international institutions and other actors which Covid-19 has revealed, and what they reveal about the resilience or fragility of institutional frameworks in the face of existential risks; (2) using Covid-19 to test and refine our prior ‘Boring Apocalypses’ model for understanding the interplay of hazards, vulnerabilities and exposures in facilitating a particular disaster, or magnifying its effects; and (3) to extrapolate some possible futures for existential risk scholarship and governance.
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| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1407 | 730 | 64 |
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Apocalypse Now?
Initial Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic for the Governance of Existential and Global Catastrophic Risks
In: Journal of International Humanitarian Legal StudiesSearch for other papers by Hin-Yan Liu in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Kristian Lauta in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Matthijs Maas in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This paper explores the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic through the framework of existential risks – a class of extreme risks that threaten the entire future of humanity. In doing so, we tease out three lessons: (1) possible reasons underlying the limits and shortfalls of international law, international institutions and other actors which Covid-19 has revealed, and what they reveal about the resilience or fragility of institutional frameworks in the face of existential risks; (2) using Covid-19 to test and refine our prior ‘Boring Apocalypses’ model for understanding the interplay of hazards, vulnerabilities and exposures in facilitating a particular disaster, or magnifying its effects; and (3) to extrapolate some possible futures for existential risk scholarship and governance.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1407 | 730 | 64 |
| Full Text Views | 1377 | 58 | 12 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 1881 | 119 | 25 |