These diverse threats are increasingly studied as one integrated field, using terms such as existential risk, global catastrophic risk, global megacrisis, ultimate harm, survival research, and simply catastrophe. Contributions to this field come from diverse intellectual disciplines, including economics, philosophy, astronomy, and risk analysis, in addition to the disciplines of each specific risk. Futures studies has been especially active, with futures journals (including this one) hosting several special issues and symposia and publishing numerous stand- alone articles. The present special issue continues this interdisciplinary, futures-oriented tradition.

The theme of this special issue is confronting future catastrophic threats to humanity. Our motivation for this more practical bent is twofold. First, it is our observation that the bulk of the catastrophic threats literature has thus far focused mainly on philosophical aspects, in particular the moral significance of catastrophic threats and challenges to quantifying their probability, as well as empirical aspects, in particular the nature and size of the various threats.

How to confront the threats has gone relatively understudied as an integrated field of research, though there is significant research on how to confront specific threats such as global warming and nuclear war. Second, confronting the threats is arguably the most important part. The threats are not merely academic—they actually do threaten humanity, and so for the sake of humanity they should be confronted. The philosophical and empirical aspects are undoubtedly important, but ultimately people need to know what to do to keep humanity intact.

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