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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Matthew Cantor

What is this era of calamity we’re in? Some say ‘polycrisis’ captures it

composite image of circles overlaid on top of each other, featuring images of elon musk with a chainsaw, a wildfire, a hurricane, destruction in gaza and donald trump
Our world is built on interconnecting systems, and when one gets rattled, the others do too. Illustration: Angelica Alzona/Guardian Design; Photos via Getty Images

Two months into 2025, the sense of dread is palpable. In the US, the year began with a terrorist attack; then came the fires that ravaged a city, destroying lives, homes and livelihoods. An extremist billionaire came to power and began proudly dismantling the government with a chainsaw. Once-in-a-century disasters are happening more like once a month, all amid devastating wars and on the heels of a pandemic.

The word “unprecedented” has become ironically routine. It feels like we’re stuck in a relentless cycle of calamity, with no time to recover from one before the next begins.

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