Katastrofat

Katastrofat is a term used to describe a state of systemic collapse resulting from interdependent failures across natural, technological, and social subsystems. Unlike isolated disasters, katastrofat emphasizes cascading effects, tipping points, and rapid, nonlinear change that overwhelms institutions and infrastructure.

Origin and usage: The word appears in some Swedish-language discussions and in science fiction and risk-management literature as a coined concept to discuss worst-case future scenarios. There is no single, universally accepted definition, and usages vary by author.

Scientific context: In risk analysis and complex systems theory, katastrofat-like scenarios are analyzed in terms of resilience, interdependencies, and cascading failures. Catastrophe theory, a mathematical framework for abrupt state changes, provides a formal backdrop to some discussions, though not all authors equate their concept with the theory.

Cultural and policy relevance: The term is often employed to frame discussions of preparedness, climate risk, urban planning, and governance reforms. It serves as a heuristic for considering how multiple stressors interact rather than predicting a single event.

See also: catastrophe, disaster, resilience, complex systems, catastrophe theory, tipping point.