Page 12 - WEF Reoprt 2020

environmental consequences. The near- technology governance framework and
term impacts of climate change add up to cyber insecurity all pose significant risk.
a planetary emergency that will include loss Geopolitical and geo-economic uncertainty—
of life, social and geopolitical tensions and including the possibility of fragmented
negative economic impacts. cyberspace—also threaten to prevent the
full potential of next generation technologies
For the first time in the history of the Global from being realized. Respondents to our
Risks Perception Survey, environmental survey rated “information infrastructure
concerns dominate the top long-term breakdown” as the sixth most impactful risk
risks by likelihood among members of the in the years until 2030.
World Economic Forum’s multistakeholder
community; three of the top five risks by
impact are also environmental (see Figure I, Health systems under
The Evolving Risks Landscape 2007–2020). new pressures
“Failure of climate change mitigation and
adaption” is the number one risk by impact Health systems around the world are at
and number two by likelihood over the next risk of becoming unfit for purpose. New
10 years, according to our survey. Members vulnerabilities resulting from changing
of the Global Shapers Community—the societal, environmental, demographic and
Forum’s younger constituents—show technological patterns threaten to undo the
even more concern, ranking environmental dramatic gains in wellness and prosperity
issues as the top risks in both the short that health systems have supported over the
and long terms. last century. Non-communicable diseases—
such as cardiovascular diseases and mental
The Forum’s multistakeholder network illness—have replaced infectious diseases as
rate “biodiversity loss” as the second most the leading cause of death, while increases
impactful and third most likely risk for the in longevity and the economic and societal
next decade. The current rate of extinction costs of managing chronic diseases have
is tens to hundreds of times higher than the put healthcare systems in many countries
average over the past 10 million years—and under stress. Progress against pandemics is
it is accelerating. Biodiversity loss has critical also being undermined by vaccine hesitancy
implications for humanity, from the collapse and drug resistance, making it increasingly
of food and health systems to the disruption difficult to land the final blow against some
of entire supply chains. of humanity’s biggest killers. As existing
health risks resurge and new ones emerge,
humanity’s past successes in overcoming
Consequences of health challenges are no guarantee of
digital fragmentation future results.

More than 50% of the world’s population is
now online, approximately one million people
go online for their first time each day, and There is still scope for stakeholders to
two-thirds of the global population own a address these risks, but the window
mobile device. While digital technology is of opportunity is closing. Coordinated,
bringing tremendous economic and multistakeholder action is needed quickly
societal benefits to much of the global to mitigate against the worst outcomes
population, issues such as unequal and build resiliency across communities
access to the internet, the lack of a global and businesses.

The Global Risks Report 2020 7