Interesting — and a useful counterpoint to the top ten threats identified by the UN in 2004.* A single word, corruption, would seem to cover all ten.
Table 1: Ten Global Risks of Highest Concern in 2014
| No. | Global Risk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fiscal crises in key economies |
| 2 | Structurally high unemployment/underemployment |
| 3 | Water crises |
| 4 | Severe income disparity |
| 5 | Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation |
| 6 | Greater incidence of extreme weather events (e.g. floods, storms, fires) |
| 7 | Global governance failure |
| 8 | Food crises |
| 9 | Failure of a major financial mechanism/institution |
| 10 | Profound political and social instability |
World Economic Forum Global Risks 2014
* Poverty, Infectious Disease, Environmental Degradation, Inter-State Conflict, Civil War, Genocide, Other Atrocities, Proliferation, Terrorism, Transnational Crime
