Tackling modern-day crises: Why understanding multilevel interconnectivity is vital

Complex crises like the coronavirus pandemic are showing us that modern societies are becoming increasingly unable to live in equilibrium with nature. These crises are the result of multiple causes, which interact at different scales and across different domains. Therefore, investigating their proximate causes is not enough to fully understand them. It is also crucial to take into account the structural factors involved. As concerns the global pandemic, I suggest four levels of analysis: (i) the surface or proximate level of the crisis; (ii) the human-environment-animal interface, as pointed out by the One Health approach; (iii) the broader socioeconomic context; and (iv) the deeper or worldview level. Furthermore, I argue that there is the need for a mindset shift if we want to properly trace causality. Much more attention must be given to the study of multilevel connecting patterns and nonlinear mechanisms as the producers of emergent global effects.

Automated summary

Modern societies are increasingly unable to live in equilibrium with nature, leading to complex crises like the coronavirus pandemic. Understanding these crises requires analyzing multiple levels, from proximate causes to broader socioeconomic contexts and deeper worldviews. A mindset shift is needed to properly trace causality and study the multilevel connecting patterns and nonlinear mechanisms that produce emergent global effects.