Climate and environmental risks are slipping down the list of immediate global concerns, even as they continue to dominate the long-term risk outlook, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2026.

Short-term focus shifts away from environment

In the two-year outlook, environmental risks have been reprioritised downward as geopolitical, economic and societal risks take centre stage.

• Extreme weather events slipped to #4 from #2 last year
• Pollution fell to #9
• Critical change to Earth systems and biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse dropped sharply in rankings
• All environmental risks also recorded lower severity scores compared with last year

This marks an absolute decline in concern, not just a relative one, as respondents focus on near-term shocks such as geoeconomic confrontation, state-based armed conflict, misinformation, and economic downturns.

The picture reverses over the 10-year horizon, where environmental risks remain the most severe global threats.

• Extreme weather events rank #1
• Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse stands at #2
• Critical change to Earth systems ranks #3
• Environmental risks make up half of the top 10 long-term risks

Nearly three-quarters of respondents expect a turbulent or stormy outlook for environmental risks over the next decade, making it the most pessimistic risk category in the long term.

The report highlights how immediate pressures — including rising geopolitical rivalry, economic volatility, and societal polarisation — are pushing governments and institutions to prioritise short-term stability over shared long-term objectives such as climate action.

While environmental risks have declined in short-term urgency, the report cautions that their existential nature means they remain unavoidable over time, with climate impacts already stressing infrastructure, supply chains and public systems globally.

The divergence between short-term and long-term risk perceptions underscores a growing challenge for policymakers: balancing immediate crises with risks that build gradually but carry irreversible consequences. The WEF notes that as multilateral cooperation weakens and nations turn inward, the capacity to address long-term environmental threats collectively may erode further, even as those risks intensify.

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