Wrap-Up: Collapse Is Feedback, Too

Paco Araujo
May 6
2 min read

Arouna Kande on the Beach Credit Laudato Si Movement — Arouna Kande on the Beach. Credit Laudato Si Movement

It’s tempting to see collapse as failure. But systems speak through structure—and sometimes, collapse is their way of telling us: “This isn’t working.”

This issue has taken us from the Mayan world to modern encyclicals, tracing how delayed responses and reinforcing degradation loops can push civilizations—and ecosystems—past the point of no return.

But collapse isn’t the end of the story.

Recovery, too, is a system. And it can be designed.

A brilliant example comes from the Chinese Paired Assistance Policy after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. In the face of disaster, China matched well-resourced provinces with devastated areas through hybrid, cross-level collaboration. The result? A faster recovery—yes—but also something deeper: local capacity for shared, long-term growth.

The real insight?

Recovery systems must fit the local culture.
They should balance public-private collaboration.
And they need metrics that reward resilience, not just speed.

This kind of framework resonates deeply with Laudato Si’—not just because it rebuilds, but because it does so with dignity, equity, and structure.

📄 Want the full story? Check out the paper from the Italian System Dynamics Society: “Using a Hybrid Collaborative Crisis Management Framework to Foster Long-Term Growth in Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Findings From the Chinese Paired Assistance Policy.” Read it here

Looking Ahead: From Collapse to Contagion

What Happens When the Forest Hosts the World?

Next month, we turn our gaze to a city at the edge of the rainforest—and the center of global attention. A place where COP meets commons, promises clash with pressure, and old loops demand new stories.

What happens when you invite the world into a biome on the brink?

We’ll leave the rest for June.

Watch for whispers. And heat.

Use the tag #COPCommons if you want in early.