Trend Environmental risks losing perceived importance while climate inaction stays first

Summary

In the 2026 survey respondents viewed environmental risks as a group as slightly less important than in 2024, and the environmental risks that led the 2024 rankings fell below political ones. Biodiversity decline and large-scale pollution each dropped five places in importance and posted the largest falls in imminence since 2024, meaning they are now expected to arrive much later. The report attributes their exit from the high-vulnerability zone to lower importance rather than to any improvement in preparedness. Even so, climate change inaction is seen as important in every region and kept its place as the most important global risk in the survey. Natural resource shortages were also rated an important risk across regions, and natural hazards remain highly vulnerable because the capacity to reduce them is still judged weak.