“Strategy X-EXIST” A Plan to Secure the Future of Humanity from Existential Threats
A Collaborative Initiative by the InterAction Council with One Young World
Summary for Discussion, April 2025
Vision: Create a flourishing and safe world for all to secure the well-being of future generations.
Goal: Prevent and reduce risks from existential threats to ensure human survival.
Key Threats and Risks: Existential threats and risks can be considered under the Sustainable Development Goal clusters of Planet, Peace, People and Prosperity – priorities in italics:
- Planet: mass extinctions in the past occurred from asteroids and massive volcanic eruptions causing biodiversity collapse; Tipping Points and Runaway Climate Change.
- People: Inequalities, food and water insecurity act as drivers for migration and conflict, whilst a warming planet increases the risk of pandemics with the potential to threaten human existence; intentional or non-intentional release of Synthetic Pandemics.
- Peace: Nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare, including engineered pandemics; Digital Warfare and Artificial Intelligence; Conflicts that risk Nuclear Catastrophe.
- Prosperity: Mechanical-Technical-Industrialisation including unsustainable growth (planet); unhealthy crowded cities and rapid travel (pandemics) and widening inequalities (peace); human security risks are posed from emerging technology including ungoverned Artificial General Intelligence.
Challenges: include geopolitical turbulence, fragmented global governance, sectoral and reactive responses, compounded by populism, misinformation, the underestimation or denial of risks and competing interests. Threats and risks often interact and reinforce each other with the potential to escalate existential catastrophes.
Strategic Sustainable Systems: Utilise strategic foresight to design systems for the delivery of multi-disciplinary governance and policy for the:
- 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐓−𝐂𝐏𝐑𝟐−𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥,𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧,𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫: prevent tipping points from escalating and creating runaway climate change; design strategic Global, Regional and Community Plans to stabilise Essential Determinants of Life including Temperature, Air, Water, Land and Food systems, to create a Flourishing Planet for future generations.
- PEOPLE – Prevent Pandemics: enhance global governance and health diplomacy to transform global health security as a global good; enable prevention, detection, early warning systems, preparedness and response operations with digital solutions; strengthen Health Systems to promote resilience and population well-being for All.
- PEACE – Human Security to Planetary Peace: Create a Culture of Peace to tackle root causes of violence and insecurity as a basis for Human Security; Design Pathways to Peace and rebuild post conflict communities with reconciliation, recovery and rehabilitation plans; Prevent Violence and Wars - intervene early by strengthening the rule of law, diplomacy and development initiatives; Control Weapons: for technologies and weapons of mass-destruction; Promote Planetary Peace: embed planetary security within global security frameworks, to secure the essential determinants of life.
- PROSPERITY – AI Governance and Human Security as Global Goods: Establish Global Governance for Digital Technology and AI including Artificial General Intelligence; promote open access innovative solutions including for Health and Education; scale renewable energy to underpin Human Security, Sustainable Development and Growth.
Recommendations: draw upon priorities identified by the EXIST Board to guide collaborative action scaled up with partners, including the Global Youth Security Council and One Young World
GOVERNANCE: establish a Global Existential Security Threats EXIST Board
STRATEGY: develop living plans linked to Strategy X-EXIST to save the future of humanity
PLATFORM: advance a Global Futures Platform - for Planet, People and Peace P4PPP
ADVOCACY: enable young leaders to champion a media campaign for community action
LEADERS: strengthen intergenerational leadership to secure the survival of humanity
PARTNERS: coordinate and scale collaborative partnerships and global communities
The Global Futures Platform - for Planet, People and Peace - P4PPP was launched in 2024 with over 400 digital tools to enable the Strategy X-EXIST and to promote life, health and well-being.