Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From the 2013 report, the top five risks by likelihood over the next 10
years include:
•
Severe income disparity (widening gaps between the richest and poorest
citizens): (economic).
•
Chronic fiscal imbalances (failure to redress excessive government debt
obligations): (economic).
•
Rising greenhouse gas emissions (governments, businesses and consumers
fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand carbon sinks): (envi-
ronmental) (see Chapter 11).
•
Water supply crises (decline in the quality and quantity of fresh water
combine with increased competition among resource-intensive systems
such as food and energy production): (societal).
•
Mismanagement of population ageing (failure to address both the rising
costs and social challenges associated with population ageing): (societal).
(World Economic Forum, 2013a)
In addition, the report identifies the top five risks by impact, which are pre-
sented below. As can be seen, there is some overlap with the previous risks
by likelihood list; however there are some differences.
• Major systemic financial failure (a financial institution or currency
regime of systematic importance collapses with implications throughout
the global financial system): (economic).
•
Water supply crises (decline in the quality and quantity of fresh water
combined with increased competition among resource-intensive systems
such as food and energy production): (social).
•
Chronic fiscal imbalances (failure to redress excessive government debt
obligations): (economic).
•
Diffusion of weapons of mass destruction (the availability of nuclear,
chemical, biological and radiological technologies and materials leads to
crises): (geopolitical).
•
Failure of climate change adaptation (governments and businesses fail to
endorse or enact effective measures to protect populations and transition
businesses impacted by climate change): (environment). (World Economic
Forum, 2013a)
Within each of the four main categories, respondents were asked to pick a
centre of gravity or the one risk that they think is systematically the most
important in that particular group. The top centres of gravity include:
•
Major systemic financial failure: (economic).
•
Failure of climate change adaptation: (environmental).
•
Global governance failure: (geopolitical).
Search WWH ::
Custom Search