Global Risks 2012 Report by the World Economic Forum's Risk Response Network

Pages:  64;

The World Economic Forum has published the seventh edition of the global risks report entitled the Global Risks 2012. It first features an insightful section that covers the cases which show the potential catastrophic events that could result because of the interconnectedness of the global risks. The three cases are:

1. Seeds of Dystopia:  This case highlights how societies worldwide could become chaotic as high unemployment rates among young people persist and as governments fail to maintain social provisions.
2. How Safe are our Safeguards:  Experts are concerned that our regulatory/governance systems will fail to manage today's complex systems including our financial and political systems.
3. The Dark Side of Connectivity:  Virtual hyperconnectivity creates enormous personal and organizational risks. Think of cyber attacks and the infamous/famous Wikileaks.

The report features 50 global risks in five categories which experts believe global leaders should be most concerned about. I will list three risks under each category. The first risk under each category is the most frequently chosen.

1. Economic Risks:  chronic fiscal imbalances, severe income disparity, prolonged infrastructure neglect.
2. Environmental Risks: greenhouse gas emissions, persistent extreme weather, irremediable pollution.
3. Geopolitical Risks:  global governance failure, terrorism, critical fragile states.
4. Societal Risks: unsustainable population growth, food shortage crises, backlash against globalization.
5. Technological Risks:  critical systems failure, cyber attacks, massive incident of fraud or theft.

Don't miss the section with the special report on The Great East Japan Earthquake (and tsunami) that killed nearly 20,000 people in March, 2011.

Click here to read the Global Risks 2012 report: http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-2012-seventh-edition.