22 JANUARY 2020

Climate Change, Environment Dominate New World Economic Forum Global Risks Report

The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) opened on 21 January. The annual Global Risks Report, which is prepared from a survey of participants ahead of the opening, lists several environmental risks among the top five long-term concerns. Participants identified extreme weather, climate action failure, natural disaster, biodiversity loss, human-made environmental disasters and water crises as some of the largest threats that the world is likely to face in the next ten years.

Egypt and Ethiopia Said to be Close to Accord on Renaissance Dam

The Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources met with the US Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the World Bank (both of whom acted as observers) in Washington, between 13 and 15 January.

The delegates identified six points that relate to the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Those points will form the basis for further discussion when they meet again on 28-29 January to work towards a comprehensive agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD.

Unprecedented Locust Plague in Kenya and Horn of Africa Threatening Food Security

The largest outbreak of desert locusts in 25 years is spreading across East Africa, posing a threat to a region with already tenuous food security. Controlling the plague is likely to be expensive, a major outbreak in 2003 and 2005 cost north African more than US$500 million ($727 million) and led to US$2.5 billion ($3.6 billion) in harvest losses.

Any opinions or views expressed in this paper are those of the individual author, unless stated to be those of Future Directions International.

Published by Future Directions International Pty Ltd.

Suite 5, 202 Hampden Road, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia.

Tel:+61 8 6389 0211

Web: www.futuredirections.org.au

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22 JANUARY 2020

Climate Change, Environment Dominate New World Economic Forum Global Risks Report

The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) opened on 21 January. The annual Global Risks Report, which is prepared from a survey of participants ahead of the opening, lists several environmental risks among the top five long-term concerns. Participants identified extreme weather, climate action failure, natural disaster, biodiversity loss, human-made environmental disasters and water crises as some of the largest threats that the world is likely to face in the next ten years.

Egypt and Ethiopia Said to be Close to Accord on Renaissance Dam

The Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources met with the US Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the World Bank (both of whom acted as observers) in Washington, between 13 and 15 January.

The delegates identified six points that relate to the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Those points will form the basis for further discussion when they meet again on 28-29 January to work towards a comprehensive agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD.

Unprecedented Locust Plague in Kenya and Horn of Africa Threatening Food Security

The largest outbreak of desert locusts in 25 years is spreading across East Africa, posing a threat to a region with already tenuous food security. Controlling the plague is likely to be expensive, a major outbreak in 2003 and 2005 cost north African more than US$500 million ($727 million) and led to US$2.5 billion ($3.6 billion) in harvest losses.

Any opinions or views expressed in this paper are those of the individual author, unless stated to be those of Future Directions International.

Published by Future Directions International Pty Ltd.

Suite 5, 202 Hampden Road, Nedlands WA 6009, Australia.

Tel:+61 8 6389 0211

Web: www.futuredirections.org.au

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