Environmental risks feature prominently in this year’s list, with failure of climate change mitigation and adaption in fifth place. The World Bank estimates the cost of climate change adaptation for developing countries to be $70-100 billion per year through to 2050. Studies suggest that water scarcity – third on the list of global risks – could reduce grain production by as much as 30% . Food crises are number eight on the list.. Youth unemployment and underemployment are ranked as the second most important risk. About 300 million young people – over 25% of the world’s youth population – have no productive work , according to World Bank estimates. Add low-paid rural and urban self-employed workers, and the estimates rise to 600 million. Demographic trends are flagged in the report, including the risk of being unable to deal with rapid population growth and the growing burden of an ageing population. While it took 115 years for France’s population of over-65s to double from 7%
