The Existential Threats and Risks for All Working Group of WAAS has developed an InfoHub.
Why the Concern about Existential Threats and Risks?
Threats and risks to the existence of all of humanity, or a substantial portion, have always been present: natural disasters as well as human-caused wars and pandemics. However, in recent years, many informed observers have warned of a convergence into a polycrisis, as risks based on human causes increase and interact across many major categories, notably nuclear catastrophe, major war, climate change tipping points, pandemics, AI, and AGI.
What Can Be Done?
Many different actions are being undertaken or proposed to reduce or prevent these threats and risks, in addition to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and its Pact for the Future facilitated by the UN80 Initiative. But actions underway or proposed are still insufficient to forestall many widespread catastrophes, and vested interests and growing anti-science attitudes hinder many actions.
How Can the EXTRA InfoHub Make a Difference?
There is a wide array and quantity of information available in books, articles, and mainly reports on current threats and risks, as well as strategies for promoting human security for all. To overcome this fragmentation and information overload, the EXTRA InfoHub provides short abstracts and links to relevant reports by UN agencies and NGOs, as well as some essential books and articles. This selection is made available in a Directory with several hundred entries. A summary of ‘10 Key Ideas complements the Directory’ and our selection of ’20 Notable Reports on Existential Threats and Risks’, a listing of more than 80 relevant organisations, and Key Analyses on pressing existential concerns. A monthly ‘eNewsletter’ presents new additions to the Directory, short articles, interviews, reviews, new key analyses (e.g., on AI and water), and news on EXTRA and WAAS activities.
DISCLAIMER: The InfoHub is a selection of evidence-based items relevant to understanding and addressing existential concerns. We are using some AI tools and improving our strategy as we progress. This information system is far from perfect and will always be so, due to the wide variety of sources, the unfolding of new events and concerns, and the steady (if not increasing) flow of new reports, books, journals, and articles. Thus, suggestions from InfoHub users are always welcome.
The EXTRA working group was established in 2022 and utilizes strategic foresight to identify threats and risks to human survival, whilst drawing upon lessons from past mass extinctions. The broader categories we employ are: Overviews, Planet, People, Security, and Sustainability, somewhat similar to the UN Sustainable Development Goal clusters. The following initiatives are supported by the EXTRA Working Group volunteers, with some central WAAS funding and administrative support.
Thomas Reuter
Chair, Newsletter Co-editor
treuter@worldacademy.org
An anthropologist at the University of Melbourne with a research focus on transformative social change, food systems, and transitions to sustainability in Asia and beyond. He is on the board of the World Academy (WAAS), a fellow of two European Academies, past chair of the World Council of Anthropological Associations, and a former executive of IUAES and the International Science Council and board member of Future Earth (Asia RC). Experienced in leading international organisations and advising governments on cultural, environmental, and geopolitical issues. Research and consultancy work in Asia and beyond has focused on indigenous people, social movements, religion, political elites, ecology, climate change, food system security, strategic policy design, diplomacy, and globalisation. Prof Reuter has published 17 books and over 150 articles.
Ana Maria Paraschiv
Communication and Networking Specialist
A senior consultant in international cooperation and strategic development, specializing in cross-border investment, sustainable economic transitions, and global governance. Experienced in supporting foreign companies with market entry, regulatory compliance, and long-term strategies, in collaboration with public institutions and development organizations. Speaker at major global forums—including Raisina Dialogue, Bay of Bengal Conversation, Cape Town Conversation, and Francophonie—addressing topics such as climate governance, artificial intelligence, humanitarian vulnerability, and systemic risks. As the founder of Ubuntu World, she promotes reconnecting humanity with nature by bringing together diverse backgrounds from science, art, policy, and government. Ana is fluent in French, English, Romanian, Spanish, and Bulgarian.
Kiriti Prasad Choudhury
AI, IT, and Data Analytics Specialist
An IT and digital governance professional with over two decades of experience across multidisciplinary industries, including the regulated life-sciences sector. His work focuses on AI, data integrity and analytics, cybersecurity, and the design of compliant digital systems that support critical operations. His current interests include AI risk, systemic vulnerabilities in health and social systems, and the use of data analytics for disaster resilience and early warning. Holding master’s degrees in Software Engineering and Economics, he draws on this diverse background to connect technology with human and societal needs, aiming to strengthen trust, improve quality, and create more sustainable digital futures.
Lorenzo Rodriguez
Research and Project Officer, Newsletter Co-editor
A political scientist with expertise in international relations. He earned his MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from Ankara Social Sciences University in Turkey and a BA in Political Studies from Universidad de Carabobo in Venezuela, including a Fulbright Global UGRAD exchange at the University of Mississippi, in the United States. He has worked as a Research Associate and Editor for a World Academy of Art and Science project, the Security and Sustainability Guide, which aims to address issues of security and sustainability. Fluent in Spanish and English with skills in project management, data analysis, and content creation.
Michael Marien
Director of Research
With a long-term interest in “what’s happening” –an increasingly complex and concerning task, he earned a PhD in Social Science from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and has been compiling futures-relevant information overviews in various ways. Bibliographic work began as a Research Fellow at the Educational Policy Research Center at Syracuse, prompted by a request from OECD for an overview of recent futures literature. This led to “Societal Directions and Alternatives: A Critical Guide to the Literature”. He founded and edited Future Survey, a 24-page monthly guide to 50 books and articles, published by the now-defunct World Future Society from 1979 to 2008, with a total of more than 20,000 abstracts. In 2013, he initiated the Security & Sustainability Guide, with over 3000 abstracts of relevant organizations.
Ortwin Renn
Director of Systemic Risk Research
A social scientist focusing on risk governance. He retired as scientific director at the International Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam (Germany) in 2023 and serves as a professor emeritus for environmental sociology and technology assessment at the University of Stuttgart. He directs the non-profit company DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes. He holds a doctoral degree in social psychology from the University of Cologne. His career includes teaching and research positions at Clark University (Worcester, USA), the Swiss Institute of Technology (Zurich), and the Center of Technology Assessment (Stuttgart). Prof. Renn has published 250 peer-reviewed articles.
Grant Schreiber
WAAS Liaison and Website Manager
General Manager of the World Academy of Art and Science and Global Campaign Manager for the Human Security for All (HS4A) campaign. He is an author, publisher and editor and has developed media campaigns for clients in the US, UK and South Africa.
Contact the EXTRA Working Group for enquiries, comments or to join.
