On 14 January the World Economic Forum (WEF) publishes its Global Risks Report. From survey feedback of 750 respondents, the two greatest global risks in terms of impact and likelihood are “Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation” and “Large-scale involuntary migration”. Migration is a higher concern among short-term (18 months) risks, whereas the resource-related issues of climate, water and food dominate the top five risks with a long-term (next 10 years) perspective. Feedback from over 13000 business respondents to the WEF’s 2015 Executive Opinion Survey show a striking contrast: the relative absence of environmental risks and longer term issues among their top concerns for doing business. In developed economies, their top concerns are economic risks such as asset bubbles and fiscal crisis. In developing ones, it is unemployment, underemployment and energy price shocks.
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