WMDs, Cyber Attacks, and Public Infrastructure Failures among Top Threats in Annual Risk Report

The World Economic Forum has published it’s the Global Risk Report 2021, the 16th edition of its annual publication analyzing current and emerging risks. The COVID-19 pandemic receives much attention in this edition, but it also examines other key threats that include weapons of mass destruction and cyber attacks. The foundation of the report continues to be Global Risks Perception Survey, completed by over 650 members of the World Economic Forum’s diverse leadership communities. In addition to the key threats already identified, the survey revealed significant concerns about public infrastructure failure, natural resource crises, and extreme weather. The report also addresses challenges to social cohesion, many of which have emerged or been exacerbated by ongoing situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. The report concludes with proposals for enhancing resilience, drawing from the lessons of the pandemic as well as historical risk analysis.