We live in a world of worry. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, having driven reversals in human development in almost every country, continues to spin off variants unpredictably. War in Ukraine and elsewhere has created more human suffering. Record-breaking temperatures, fires, storms and floods sound the alarm of planetary systems increasingly out of whack. Together, they are fuelling a cost-of-living crisis felt around the world, painting a picture of uncertain times and unsettled lives. Uncertainty is not new, but its dimensions are taking ominous new forms today. A new “uncertainty complex” is emerging, never before seen in human history. Constituting it are three volatile and interacting strands: the destabilizing planetary pressures and inequalities of the Anthropocene, the pursuit of sweeping societal transformations to ease those pressures and the widespread and intensifying polarization.
Part 1. Uncertain times, unsettled lives -- Chapter 1. A new uncertainity complex-- Chapter 2. Unsettled minds in uncertain times: Mental distress-an obstacle to human development -- Chapter 3. Harnessing human develpment to navigate uncertain times -- Part 2. Shaping our future in a transforming world -- Chapter 4. What's standing in the way of our acting together? -- Chapter 5. Advancing human development in uncertain times -- Chapter 6. Charting paths to transformation: Navigating uncertainty to expand human development.

ix, 305 p. : graphs, tables

Includes bibliographical references (p. 230-263).

9789211264517
9789210016407 (eISBN)
0969-4501
2412-3129 (eISSN)