The World Economic Forum (WEF) publishes its Global Risks Report on 11 January. Based on its Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) with feedback from 750 experts, it concludes that rising income and wealth disparity and increasing polarization of societies are 1st and 3d respectively among underlying trends that will determine global developments in the next decade. Among top environmental issues ranking both high-risk and high-likelihood, climate change ranks as 2nd most important underlying trend. Of 12 emerging technologies examined, experts found artificial intelligence and robotics as having the greatest potential benefits, but also the greatest potential negative effects and greatest need for better governance. The findings signal a world undergoing multiple complex transitions towards a lower-carbon future, technological change of unprecedented depth and speed, and new economic and geopolitical balances.
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