The mood was glum as the World Economic Forum¡¯s annual meeting of academics and leaders from business and politics kicked off Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, with worries ranging from energy to geopolitics and China¡¯s slowdown causing widespread unease.

Problems such as the refugee crisis in Europe, the ultralow oil price and the challenges of new technology have overshadowed the global economic outlook this year, a tone that is reflected in this summit so far.

The four-day meeting in the resort town drew more than 2,500 representatives from business, politics, academia and NGOs from more than 100 countries.