Global Risks 2015

The Global Risks 2015 report highlights a complex risk environment where interstate conflict, cyber attacks, and social instability are primary concerns. It emphasizes the interplay between geopolitics and economics, the challenges of rapid urbanization in developing countries, and the governance of emerging technologies. The report also identifies critical gaps in regional preparedness for social instability and water crises, while showcasing specific resilience initiatives in Australia, the United States, and Germany.

• Interstate conflict has returned as a primary global concern, though it now exists alongside modern threats such as cyber attacks and instant global information flows.
• Social instability is identified as the most interconnected risk of 2015, exacerbated by persistent unemployment and strained public finances following the global economic crisis.
• There is significant regional under-preparedness for specific risks: Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa are least prepared for social instability; South Asia faces failures in urban planning; and the Middle East and North Africa face water crises.
• The report identifies three critical risk constellations: the use of economic tools by states to establish geopolitical power, the governance of rapid urbanization in Asia and Africa, and the need for ethical oversight of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and synthetic biology.
• The report highlights three specific initiatives for climate-change adaptation and extreme weather: water management modelling in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin, the Resilient America Roundtable in the United States, and the ZÜRS Public flood management programme in Germany.

APA

World Economic Forum (2015). Global Risks 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GRR15_ExecutiveSummary.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Global Risks 2015. 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GRR15_ExecutiveSummary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Global Risks 2015 |date=2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GRR15_ExecutiveSummary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2015global, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Global Risks 2015}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GRR15_ExecutiveSummary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }