The Climate Crisis seen from Davos
The Global Risks Report 2024 counts extreme weather events and critical change to Earth systems as the greatest concerns facing the world over the next decade. An overview of the latest edition of the report, from how it is built to the main emerged results.
Once relegated to the periphery, the environment has recently been embraced by the World Economic Forum — the 54th annual meeting took place in Davos, Switzerland, from 15 to 19 January 2024 — as one of its key pillars. The sessions presented the latest proposals for progress on global security, trade, economic growth, jobs, climate and nature action, energy transition, technological revolution, health and well-being.
The goal was to help connect the dots in an increasingly complex environment and provide predictions by introducing the latest advances in science, industry and society. The meeting was preceded by the publication of the usual update of the Global Risk Report, which outlines some future macro trends.
The next decade will usher in a period of significant change, pushing our ability to adapt to the limit. Environmental crises, such as extreme weather events, have destabilised both economies and businesses, eroding profit margins and delaying supply chains.
On the other hand, due to the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the energy crisis and inflation, climate change and carbon neutrality efforts around the world have slowed significantly. A scenario of global economic anxiety and rapid technological change completes the picture.
How the Global Risk Report is built
The report highlights the findings from the annual Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS), which brings together the collective intelligence of nearly 1,500 global leaders across academia, business, government, the international community and civil society. It also leverages insights from over 200 thematic experts.
For the 2024 report, respondents were asked to: assess the severity of global risks over a one-, two-, and ten-year horizon (risk landscape); consider the range of potential impacts of a risk arising (consequences); reflect on which approaches have the most potential for driving action on global risk reduction and preparedness (risk governance); and predict the evolution of key aspects underpinning the global risks landscape (outlook).
The report contextualises its analysis through four structural forces, reflecting systemic elements of the global landscape:
- Trajectories relating to global warming and related consequences to Earth systems (climate change);
- Changes in the size, growth, and structure of populations around the world (demographic bifurcation);
- Developmental pathways for frontier technologies (technological acceleration);
- and Material evolution in the concentration and sources of geopolitical power (geostrategic shifts).
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Climate Foresight is published by the CMCC Foundation , a research center that develops models and predictions to study the interaction between changes in the climate system and social, economic and environmental changes. Climate Foresight is an observatory on tomorrow, a digital magazine that collects ideas, interviews, articles, art performances, and multimedia to tell the stories of the future.
