Warfare is our most urgent danger, say global leaders

Global leaders rate escalating armed conflict as the most urgent threat this year with the climate emergency likely to cause the greatest concern over the next decade, according to the World Economic Forum.

- Heather Stewart

Before its yearly gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos next week, the forum asked more than 900 leaders from business, politics and academia about the risks that most worried them.

Looking at the coming 12 months, 23% of respondents feared "statebased armed conflict" - with Russia waging war in Ukraine and a series of other deadly clashes continuing, including in Sudan and Gaza.

With devastating wildfires raging in Los Angeles, the next highest risk highlighted for 2025 was "extreme weather events". These were cited by 14% of respondents. Throughout last year,floods, droughts and fires underlined the impact of the climate crisis on weather patterns, with scientists finding that global heating made such events more likely.

When the leaders were asked to look further ahead and identify the greatest risks facing the world over the next decade, four of their top 10 responses related to the climate crisis.