Risks on the Horizon

This study introduces a foresight approach to the analysis of future risks to support anticipatory decision-making. In participatory foresight processes, using horizon scanning outputs, it explores potential future developments and impacts of change within these futures and analyzes the risks and opportunities they may create. The study also presents a Delphi survey that evaluates the scope and severity of these risks. Three of the 40 identified risks were assessed as potentially existential for humanity: environmental degradation, environmental disasters, and the loss of human power.