The Global Risks Report 2015, issued by the World Economic Forum on 16 January 2015 finds extreme weather events the number two top global risk in terms of likelihood. It is exceeded only by interstate conflicts. Both are followed by failure of national governance systems (3), state collapse or crisis (4) and high structural unemployment or underemployment (5). The presence of more environmental risks among the top risks than economic ones is a result of a marked increase in experts’ negative assessment of existing preparations to cope with challenges such as extreme weather and climate change, rather than owing to a diminution of fears over chronic economic risks such as unemployment and underemployment or fiscal crises, which have remained relatively stable from 2014.
In terms of the potential impact of risks, the nearly 900 experts that took part in the Global Risk Perception Survey rated water crises as the greatest risk facing the world. Other top risks alongside that and interstate conflict in terms of impact are: rapid and massive spread of infectious diseases (2), weapons of mass destruction (3) and failure of climate change adaptation (5).
The World Economic Forum states in their press release: "The risk landscape in 2015 also shows that there remains concern over the world’s ability to solve its most pressing societal issues, as societies are under threat from economic, environmental and geopolitical risks. Indeed, the societal risk accounts for the top two potentially impactful risks."
