Preparedness paradox

[5][6] Another notable citation of the term was in 2017 by Roland Berger regarding executives in the aerospace and defense industry: almost two thirds of those surveyed reported that they were well-prepared for geopolitical changes, about which they could do nothing, while feeling unprepared in areas such as changes in technology and innovation, to which they should be much more able to respond.

In contrast, other surveys found that boards and financial professionals were increasingly concerned about geopolitical risk.

[4] Organisms with faster life histories and shorter lives are disproportionately affected by chaotic or hostile environments.

[7] Cognitive biases play a large role in the lack of urgency in preparation, hampering efforts to prevent disasters.

[8] This effect is heightened when some measure of action is taken to prevent the disaster, which further reduces the memory of the original danger and consequences.

[9] Earth's ozone hole and acid rain were significantly mitigated, but in 2022, right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh pointed to the current lack of public discourse on them to suggest that those threats were never anything to worry about.