The WEF annual survey highlights extreme weather as the biggest threat for our planet. Misinformation and disinformation come second.

As many as 60 countries will hold some sort of nationwide elections this year and politicians across the world have any reason to be worried – never before fake news and propaganda have been so poisoning as now, with artificial intelligence playing a major role.

And yet most of the national leaders, decision-makers, and influential personalities surveyed during the 2023 World Economic Forum pointed to extreme weather as the main global danger this year. 

Main points of environmental disaster. Credit: WEF

The environmental concern fretted their minds in 66% of cases. It ranks second overall in terms of severity over the next two years, due to the unpreparedness of the world’s economies for the consequences of acute weather, from shocks to agricultural systems to large-scale infrastructure damage.

AI-generated disinformation and misinformation came the second worst risk with 53%, according to the WEF’s Global Risks Perception Survey, which captured insights from nearly 1,500 notorious experts. In the context of elections, information manipulation was named as number 1 risk in India (parliamentary), number 6 in the United States (presidential), number 8 in the European Union (EU Parliament), and number 11 in the United Kingdom (parliamentary).

A map of electoral risks. Credit: WEF

Asked to choose up to five risks that are likely to present a material crisis on a global scale in 2024, the respondents also named societal/political polarization (46%); cost-of-living crisis (42%); and cyberattacks (39%).

The current risk landscape is largely influenced by the deteriorating security situation, and therefore fuels fears about the economic downturn; disruption of the supply chain for critical goods and resources; escalation or outbreak of interstate armed conflicts; attacks on critical infrastructure; and disruption of the food supply chain.

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Overall, the 1,490 respondents identified 20 risks threatening the stability of the international order and the very foundations of some nations. Of these, 9 are of economic nature, 5 are related to geopolitics, 3 are societal, 2 – technological, and 1 – environmental.

It must be noted that the survey did not include respondents from Russia, China, and a number of other countries, and therefore it does not cover the opinions of their experts. Even without them, the survey paints a dark picture of the world within the next two years.

From a broader perspective, key structural forces that are influencing the global risks are the technological acceleration, climate change, security challenges, access to resources, shifts in geopolitical power, and a widening demographic divide.

The full report is here.

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