Environmental risks pose biggest threat globally over the coming decade: WEF survey

Extreme weather events are anticipated to become even more of a concern than they already are, with this risk being top ranked in the 10-year risk list for the second year running

As the annual World Economic Forum meeting is underway in Davos, the organisation has released the Global Risks Perception Survey 2024- 2025 (GRPS). According to the survey, environmental risks dominate the 10-year horizon, led by extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse

“Global risk” is defined as the possibility of the occurrence of an event or condition that, if it occurs, would negatively impact a significant proportion of global GDP, population or natural resources. 

The report put together insights from over 900 experts worldwide, across academia, business, government, international organizations and civil society.  

Extreme weather events are anticipated to become even more of a concern than they already are, with this risk being top ranked in the 10-year risk list for the second year running. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse rank second over the 10-year horizon. Critical change to Earth systems ranks third and natural resource shortages rank fourth. 

Short-term risks

“State-based armed conflict” emerges as the top immediate risk for 2025, identified by nearly a quarter of respondents, reflecting heightened geopolitical tensions and fragmentation globally.

Misinformation and disinformation lead the short-term risks and may fuel instability and undermine trust in governance, complicating the urgent need for cooperation to address shared crises, the survey found. 

Interestingly, the survey also showed generational divergence when it comes to risk perceptions related to environmental issues, with younger survey respondents being more concerned about this over the next 10 years than older age groups. For instance, for ‘pollution’ the under 30s ranked it as the third most severe risk in 2035, the highest of any age group surveyed. 

In the short term, pollution ranks at sixth in the top 10. Its sixth-place ranking in the short term reflects a growing recognition of the serious health and ecosystem impacts of a wide range of pollutants across air, water and land, the survey said.

The survey also noted divergence in how Pollution is ranked by stakeholder, with the public sector placing ‘Pollution’ as a top 10 risk in the 10-year ranking, but not the private sector. 

However, the outlook for environmental risks over the next decade is alarming, the survey said. Over the 10-year time horizon, environmental risks present the most significant deterioration. Overall, extreme weather events were identified prominently as immediate, short-term and long-term risks.

According to the survey, escalating geopolitical, environmental, societal and technological challenges threaten stability and progress. While economic risks have less immediate prominence in this year’s survey results, they remain a concern, interconnected with societal and geopolitical tensions.

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