While Brexit and Trump were the highest-profile signs of an anti-establishment backlash in Western democracies, the evidence extends far wider, with support growing for far-right parties in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands among others.“Continued slow growth combined with high debt and demographic change creates an environment that favors financial crises and growing inequality,” WEF founder Klaus Schwab wrote in the report’s preface. They identified trends including an aging population, climate change, social polarization and income inequality that could amplify those risks.The forum ranked risks by impact and by likelihood. While weapons of mass destruction were deemed the most impactful risk, they were also judged unlikely. Extreme weather events were the next most impactful, and were also rated the most likely risk. It examined 12 emerging technologies, ranging from three-dimensional printing to renewable energy.

Source: Economic Times January 12, 2017 03:52 UTC