Abstract
Our current expectations of the future are deeply problematic. The decisions we make today focus on short-term gains to meet the needs of the present, while long-term interests and well-being of future generations are disregarded. As the current generation, we are responsible for protecting the future from the threats of global challenges, such as climate change or biodiversity loss. This causes us to make choices about our environment, social systems, and infrastructures that are rushed and shortsighted while their long-term impacts persist and accumulate. So, how can we break this cycle? By applying the Theory of Deep Change, developed for the 2025 edition of the Interconnected Disaster Risks report, this technical background report discusses the risks perpetuated by presentism and what a better system could look like. The report discusses the benefits of a long-term mindset that can strike a balance between the immediate needs of today and the sacrifices we need to make for tomorrow. The report highlights the necessity for deep change that can be achieved by changing societal assumptions and values, called inner levers, combined with structural changes, such as new laws, infrastructure or behaviors, called outer levers. By saving and building for the future, we can recognize our place within a chain of generations and leave better legacies for future generations. Deep change for a sustainable, fair, and resilient future is possible only if we start to imagine.