Source of the picture: World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2025-2026
Ecological breakdown is no longer a distant worry—it’s moving fast to the frontline of global risk. As world leaders gathered in Davos last week, the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 confirmed what scientists and civil society have long warned: environmental threats now dominate the horizon. Based on the 2025–2026 Global Risks Perception Survey, the report captures an emerging consensus among policymakers, business executives, and researchers that climate instability, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse are set to define the next decade.
While the media spotlight often falls on short-term disruptions—rising social polarisation, human rights erosion, and growing geopolitical tensions—it’s telling that these now unfold against a backdrop of accelerating ecological crisis. “Geoeconomic confrontation” has climbed to the top of near-term risks, overtaking “mis- and disinformation.” Yet, looking 10 years ahead, almost three-quarters of respondents anticipate a turbulent environmental future shaped by extreme weather, resource conflicts, and destabilised natural systems.
For the Davos crowd, this signals an urgent need to weave environmental security into every facet of global governance and economic planning. For us at GreenFormation, it’s a reminder that managing these risks is not enough. Our work toward societal and economic transformation shows that genuine resilience will require rethinking the systems that generate these risks, from extractive economic models to fragmented governance. It also means co‑creating alternative pathways through grounded, community‑based, bottom‑up approaches rooted in ecological balance and social equity.
