Rising demand stands to increase the strain on the already taxed U.S. power grid. Without intervention, the system could become even more susceptible to terrorist attacks and acts of nature.

China has grown into a trading giant, but recent concerns over the safety of Chinese food and drugs have increased worries that China’s production may have outpaced the country’s policing capacity.

Two years after a tsunami devastated several Indian Ocean countries, a rudimentary warning system is in place. But coordination and funding concerns have slowed plans for a permanent regional system.