The World Economic Forum has recently published the Global Risks Report 2022 to examine how global divergence across multiple domains in the post-COVID-19 recovery threatens to widen disparities and aggravate societal fractures.
Drawing upon insights from over 950 experts and decision-makers worldwide, the 17th edition of the report unpacks some of the critical global tensions that may worsen the pandemic’s cascading impacts and complicate the coordination needed to tackle common challenges that include strengthening climate action, enhancing digital safety, restoring livelihoods and societal cohesion, and managing competition in space.
Although the movement restrictions related to COVID-19 interrupted some migration flows, climate change is considered a key driver of migration. More frequent and extreme weather events— including fires, floods and droughts—could displace more than 200 million people by 2050.
Particularly, water scarcity is likely to drive people to move from their original countries because of its impact on health and livelihoods as well as the conflicts it risks triggering. The report also states:
-Physical and mental health impacts from harmful chemical or other particulates in the air, water or food, which may stem from energy generation, industrial and agricultural practices, waste management failures, natural disasters, human behaviour and other sources
-Chemical, food, mineral, water or other natural resource crises at a global scale as a result of human overexploitation and/or mismanagement of critical natural resources.
