Page 16 - WEF Reoprt 2020

FIG U RE 1 .1
Short-Term Risk Outlook
Percentage of respondents expecting risks to increase in 2020

Multistakeholders Global Shapers

Economic confrontations 78.5% Extreme heat waves 88.8%

Domestic political polarization 78.4% Destruction of ecosystems 87.9%
Extreme heat waves 77.1% Health impacted by pollution 87.0%

Destruction of natural ecosystems 76.2% Water crises 86.0%
Cyberattacks: infrastructure 76.1% Uncontrolled fires 79.8%

Protectionism on trade/investment 76.0% Economic confrontations 78.4%
Populist and nativist agendas 75.7% Loss of trust in media sources 77.1%

Cyberattacks: theft of money/data 75.0% Loss of privacy (to companies) 76.2%
Recession in a major economy 72.8% Loss of privacy (to governments) 76.1%

Uncontrolled fires 70.7% Domestic political polarization 75.3%

Economic Environmental Geopolitical Societal Technological

Note: The Global Shapers Community is the World Economic Forum’s network of young people driving dialogue, action and change.
Source: World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2019-2020. See Appendix B for details.

instruments for promoting their interests. What were once givens
The challenge to these institutions is rooted
in concern within some societies about regarding alliance structures
globalized systems and mechanisms
of cooperation—what the International and multilateral systems
Monetary Fund (IMF) dubs a “trust
recession”. According to the 2019 Edelman no longer hold
5
Trust Barometer, just one in five people
believe “the system” is working for them. 6

Expanding geopolitical pressing economic, environmental and
frontiers technological challenges.

The current period of geopolitical change The economic frontier
presents opportunities—for instance, to The global economy is showing signs of
re-evaluate frameworks in which some vulnerability (see Chapter 2, The Fraying
stakeholders have been under-represented. Fundamentals). At the time of writing,
Yet the turbulence threatens to undermine the IMF expected growth to be 3.0% in
the international community’s ability to 2019—the lowest rate since the economic
mitigate critical global risks by multiplying crisis of 2008-2009. At a time when global
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the domains in which rivalries can play coordination in the form of more efficient
out and limiting stakeholders’ capacity trade could help boost growth, trade has
to address global challenges. Unless instead been turned into an instrument for
stakeholders can adapt to the present— rivalry. The World Trade Organization (WTO)
while still preparing for the future—time projected that growth in merchandise trade
will run out to address some of the most will slow to 1.2% in 2019 from 3.0% in 2018. 8

The Global Risks Report 2020 11