The biggest, baddest threats we face over next 10 years

The World Economic Forum on Thursday released its annual Global Risks report ahead of the group's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, next week.

The 2015 edition — the WEF's 10th such report — canvasses the knowledge of over 900 leading experts and decision makers from across the globe to assess, in the report's own words, "the perceived impact and likelihood of 28 prevalent global risks over a 10-year time frame."

The report says that the most pressing threat to the stability of the world in the next 10 years comes from the risk of international conflict. The direct impact of these inter-state conflicts will lead to severe water crises across the planet, it says. The report also concludes that environmental risks are far graver than any economic ones.

"Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world again faces the risk of major conflict between states," said Margareta Drzeniek-Hanouz, the WEF's chief economist, during a presentation of the report's findings in London today.

"However, today the means to wage such conflict, whether through cyberattack, competition for resources or sanctions and other economic tools, is broader than ever," Drzeniek-Hanouz said. "Seeking to return the world to a path of partnership, rather than competition, should be a priority for leaders as we enter 2015."

TOP 10 GLOBAL RISKS IN TERMS OF LIKELIHOOD

1. Interstate conflict

2. Extreme weather events

3. Failure of national governance

4. State collapse or crisis

5. Unemployment or underemployment

6. Natural catastrophes

7. Failure of climate-change adaptation

8. Water crises

9. Data fraud or theft

10. Cyber attacks

TOP 10 GLOBAL RISKS IN TERMS OF IMPACT

1. Water crises

2. Spread of infectious diseases

3. Weapons of mass destruction

4. Interstate conflict

5. Failure of climate-change adaptation

6. Energy price shock

7. Critical information infrastructure breakdown

8. Fiscal crises

9. Unemployment or underemployment

10. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse

Next week in Davos follow @dcallaway, @DonnaLeinwand and @khjelmgaard for stories, images, gossip, videos and whatever other miscellany we can dig up related to the WEF's annual meeting in the Swiss ski town.

Some 40 heads of state and over 2,500 business leaders and delegates will be there for the event so there should be plenty to talk about.

The full Global Risks 2015 report is available below: