Reframing risk communication in the era of converging, cascading, and compounding crises

Bibliographic Data

ID21697819
AuthorsChristopher L Cummings (0000-0002-3840-556X, Lead, Center for Health Engineering, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, corresponding author), Benjamin D Trump (0000-0002-4097-733X, Tor Intelligence, LLC)
Year2026
Pages1-13
Publication date2026-06-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Risk Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1366-9877 • E-ISSN: 1466-4461
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13669877.2026.2689342
OpenAlexW7166665352
LanguageEN
References cited37

The fundamental topology of risk has shifted from isolated episodes to converging, cascading, and compounding crises. Yet, despite this transformation, prevailing risk communication frameworks remain rooted in mid-20th-century linear paradigms. We argue that reliance on these static transmission models creates a structural liability in modern governance. Such approaches provide an illusion of institutional control while failing to account for the nonlinearity and interdependence of complex adaptive systems. To bridge this operational gap, we propose a complexity-aware five-stage model: detection, alignment, framing, interaction, and behavioral feedback. By reconceptualizing communication as a central control parameter for system resilience instead of a post-assessment dissemination function, this framework transforms communication from an unmeasured administrative task into a quantifiable driver of adaptive capacity

Cognitive reframing · Compounding · Liability · Psychological resilience · Risk communication · Disaster Management and Resilience · Risk Perception and Management · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance