In the next few days, 3,000 of the world’s most influential people will convene in Switzerland for the 43rd annual World Economic Forum (WEF). During the forum – one of the topics to be discussed will be the most serious threats that the world is likely to experience in upcoming years and how they can be avoided.
These threats include financial collapse, environmental damage, resource shortages, escalating food and oil prices, and extreme weather events. Whilst the forum is attended by at-least 50 heads of government, the majority of attendees will be corporate CEOs, paying at-least $20,000 a head for the privilege of attending the event. However, according to some social commentators, including the activist and rock-star, Bono, the corporate bosses view the event as an opportunity to network, rather than pro-actively engage in strategies that can help to reduce suffering in the world.
There is also criticism that the risks discussed do not have a scientific or empirical basis, and are merely threats that those attending the forum believe to be real from their own perspectives. The topics for discussion are provided by a document known as a Global Risk Report, which details 50 threats contributed by 1,000 experts from industry, government, academia and civil society – that could pose problems to the planet in the next 10 years. These specific risks include: cyber-security, failure to adapt to climate change, resistance to anti-biotics, and arms-proliferation. Many feel that whilst these are important topics to address – they still fail to acknowledge some of the primary causes of suffering in the world such as the increasing poor-rich divide and how it is likely to gather momentum if no action is taken.
Interestingly some commentators feel it fails to acknowledge the precarious situation that many of the richer nations are finding themselves in, and that economic inequality is no longer the preserve of the developing nations. With all of these factors at play, it will be interesting to see what happens during the forum, and how policy on how to cope with the world’s numerous crises are shaped.
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