Social Risks under the Combined Influence of Technological, Demographic, and Climate Changes

Abstract

This article examines how and in what specific ways technological, demographic, and climate changes, through their interactions, give rise to new forms of social risk. To conduct this analysis, we reviewed relevant literature. The interaction of these three changes is dynamic and complex, amounting at times to paradoxical effects. For instance, while technological advances contribute to climate change, they also offer potential solutions. Several pathways are identified through which the three changes together bring about social risks, each mediating and acting on the others. Regarding the interaction of technological change and demographic shifts, one effect of technological advancement in the context of the rapidly aging population has been to mitigate health deterioration among older adults. Yet, technological advancement also gives rise to new challenges, as it did in the social rights of a category of workers known as global tele-migrants. Future policymaking must incorporate a holistic approach to these three major changes and a comprehensive understanding of their workings.