COVID-19 caught the world unprepared.  Yet, warnings of pandemics had been prominent for at least a decade.  COVID-19 saw vaccines developed in record time, while simultaneously the planet suffered from an inability to properly deal with the ever present threat. Warnings of the impact of climate change have been with us for more than a quarter-century.  Despite these foreshadowing, mankind allows crises to occur. The uniqueness of the threats of the C0VID-19 pandemic and the threats of climate change lies in the fact that concerted actions of all mankind are required to effectively overcome them. At the present time, the historically established international political, legal and economic regulators have proved to be ineffective. For all mankind, the problem of overcoming individual egoism and the formation of planetary social responsibility is urgent. Scientists must offer the world community new models of the consolidation of civilizations, states, corporations and society for joint organizations to act in the elimination of global threats. Can the perspectives offered by systems and cybernetics make a difference?  What might be the role for new digital technologies and artificial intelligence?  Can mankind find a means to overcome its reluctance to cognize and confront long-term systemic risks?