From a pandemic to volcanic ash clouds... Here are the biggest threats to life in Britain in 2023 as...
The biggest threats facing Britain include another pandemic, which could kill 840,000 people, Russian disruption to energy supplies and , a major Government report warns today. Designed to help Britain prepare for 'worst-case scenarios', the National Risk Register highlights the dangers posed from 89 risks, ranging from to cyber attacks. The impact of each risk has been assessed by factors such as the potential number of lives lost and financial cost, while the likelihood of each risk has been determined using extensive data modelling and expert analysis. Another pandemic would be 'catastrophic', the report says, with the chance of one estimated at between 5 and 25 per cent. The report states that experts consider a respiratory pathogen to be 'the most likely cause of a future pandemic affecting the UK' echoing the coronavirus crisis. In a 'reasonable worst-case scenario', an 'unmitigated' respiratory pandemic with 4 per cent of symptomatic infections requiring hospital care and a case fatality ratio of 2.5 per cent would lead to half of the UK's population falling ill. It would last for at least nine months, with about 1.34million people estimated to require hospital treatment. It could possibly result in up to 840,000 deaths in the UK, the report has stated. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the potential threat of disruption to global energy supplies has also been included as one of the newly public risks in the 2023 list. However, its likelihood and impact are relatively low, having been assessed at between 0.2 per cent and 1 per cent and 'moderate' respectively. The latest register also warns that advances in artificial intelligence systems and their capabilities have 'a number of implications spanning chronic and acute risks'. The report states that artificial intelligence 'could cause an increase in harmful misinformation and disinformation, or if handled improperly, reduce economic competitiveness'. The malicious use of drones is another potential threat to be made public in the list. The register is the most transparent since its original publication in 2008, sharing some previously classified information. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said last night: 'This is the most comprehensive risk assessment we've ever published, so that government and our partners can put robust plans in place and be ready for anything.' Matt Collins, the Deputy National Security Adviser, said: 'A comprehensive understanding of the risks we face is critical to keeping the UK safe.'