Governing Boring Apocalypses: A New Typology of Existential Vulnerabilities and Exposures for Existential Risk Research

Exploring Existential Risk Studies, this chapter argues that focusing solely on preventing the hazards themselves leads to an unnecessary narrow framing of the challenges facing humanity. Existential risks are to be considered simultaneously to the vulnerabilities and exposures inherent within human systems which could contribute to existential consequences for humanity. Dividing these vulnerabilities into either ontological, passive, active, or intentional allows for the identification of a wider range of policy options to be used for risk prevention, lowering the overall probability of an actualised existential risk. Considering vulnerabilities and exposure brings Existential Risk Studies into conversation with disaster studies, allowing different researchers from broader fields to collate together their expertise and to better identify trajectories and devise strategies to mitigate existential risks.