The phrase "a potentially devastating effect" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the possible negative consequences of an action, event, or situation.
Example: "The new policy could have a potentially devastating effect on small businesses struggling to survive."
Alternatives: "a possibly catastrophic impact" or "a likely harmful consequence".
But for the world's poorest communities the rises will have a potentially devastating effect.
"Infertility is a recognised medical condition that can affect people of any age and has a potentially devastating effect on people's lives.
The danger is that remittances from Africans in the diaspora could decline as their incomes are affected in the west, with a potentially devastating effect for households in the continent and beyond.
"If Republicans aren't willing to set aside their partisan concerns in order to do what's right for the country, we stand a good chance of defaulting, and defaulting could have a potentially devastating effect on the economy," Mr. Obama told reporters at Martha's Table, a Washington-area food bank.
The trend has added complexity to what was, until recently, a currency debate focused largely on the United States and China, with Washington asking Beijing to allow the renminbi to fluctuate more freely against the U.S. dollar and China resisting a rapid appreciation, fearing a potentially devastating effect on its export sector.
For future Mars walkers, this is a potentially devastating effect.
The ruling, if it stands, will have a chilling and potentially devastating effect on not only blogs, which are growing in stature and prominence, but online media in general.
Participants said that a particular worry was the potentially devastating effect that sudden price spikes, supply disruptions and widely predicted future price increases would have on the Long Island economy, which depends heavily on fossil fuels and is already strained by $60-a-barrel 60-a-barrel 60-a-barrele prices.
However, after the anthrax attacks of 2001, biologic terrorism vulnerability assessments have determined that intentional food poisoning is a plausible means to widely disseminate pathogens, with potentially devastating effect (6).
Margaret Talbot's fascinating article neglected to mention one potentially devastating effect of stimulant neuroenhancers: in people with a history of, or a yet-to-be manifested tendency toward, bipolar disorder, drugs like Adderall and Ritalin can trigger mania, which may persist even if use of the stimulant is discontinued.
