Environmental issues including climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss have dropped down an international ranking of short-term concerns for high-profile business leaders, academics and politicians. Each year in August and September, the Global Risks Perception Survey run by the World Economic Forum (WEF) asks more than 1,300 experts – largely from the Global North – what they are most worried about. It is released in the run-up to an annual gathering of leaders in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, which takes place next week. This year, the number of respondents citing environmental issues as top concerns over the next two years fell, while more warned of economic risks like geoeconomic confrontation, economic downturn, inflation and asset bubbles bursting. The report on the survey’s results said that “environmental concerns, especially in the short term, are slipping down the ranking of leading risks for the first time in many years”. After months of announcements on new US tariffs and sanctions under President Donald Trump, “geoeconomic confrontation” shot from third to first on the list of concerns, leapfrogging “extreme weather events”. This year’s survey found respondents generally more worried about the state of the world than last year. Commenting on the report, climate scientist Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), told Climate Home News “priorities shift but it doesn’t mean that they’re not interconnected”. He said recent trends like a retreat from multilateralism and the rise of misinformation interact with the climate crisis, as do the solutions to these problems. He noted, for example, that a healthier online environment for public debate and less polarisation helps efforts to tackle climate change. “Aiming to reduce inequality also means providing energy in the cheapest way possible – and that’s with renewables. Governing well in a time of risk means you need to be able to be clear-eyed about what choices are going to bring about the most benefits,” he added. Looking further ahead, survey respondents still put environmental concerns at the top of their list of longer-term concerns. Over the next ten years, their top concerns were extreme weather followed by biodiversity loss and critical changes to Earth systems. Report author Saadia Zahidi told a press conference it is “very concerning that if we do lose the focus on [climate change and biodiversity loss] in the short term, we’re not going to be ready to adapt and mitigate 10 years out. So while it does show up in the longer-term rankings higher, it actually is a here-and-now risk.” Scientists announced this week that the last three years have been the warmest on record and, in 2025, the head of the United Nations accepted that exceeding the goal of limiting global warming to to 1.5C, set in the Paris Agreement, was inevitable. Despite rising impacts from climate change, a study by the Media and Climate Change Observatory found that media coverage of climate change was far lower in 2025 than previous years, having peaked in 2021-2023. The Media and Climate Change Observatory’s tracker of global media coverage (black line) of climate change and global warming over time Trump takes over The WEF’s annual Davos meeting kicks off on Monday, with political opponents of climate action attending in force. The US government will send what WEF organiser Børge Brende described as the largest US delegation ever, including President Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Brende said he was “pleased to welcome back” Trump after a six-year absence from Davos, adding that there will also be a “very strong delegation” from Saudi Arabia. Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who has flirted with leaving the Paris Agreement, will give a special address. On the other hand, politicians supportive of climate action including Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva and former US Vice-President Al Gore will speak on panels, as will Rockström and green Australian businessman Andrew Forrest. Jan 11, 2026 News Governments defend clean energy transition as US snubs renewables agency Trump’s move to withdraw the US from IRENA would cut a fifth of the agency’s core budget, but other countries tell its assembly clean energy is here to stay Read more Jan 11, 2026 News Renewables create fewer jobs globally as energy transition enters “new phase” The surge in employment linked to clean energy equipment and installation is slowing as large-scale plants and increasing automation require less labour Read more Jan 8, 2026 Politics Saudi Arabia issues last-minute climate plan with unclear emissions-cutting goal Saudi Arabia’s NDC suggests the baseline for the 2040 target could be revised and meeting it will depend on revenues from continued oil exports Read more In November, the Financial Times reported that, in order to persuade Trump to attend, WEF organisers gave assurances that “woke” topics like climate change and international development finance would not be too prominent at the forum. Nonetheless, climate issues remain on the agenda although several panels are framed as questions that cast doubt on the clean energy transition such as “can EVs [electric vehicles] really dominate?” and “unstoppable march of renewables?”. Last year’s programme featured a “road to COP30” event but there is no COP31-focused event this time. One panel on this year’s agenda will discuss “should we bet on climate moonshots?” such as nuclear fusion, an unproven clean energy technology on which the Trump administration has funded research. As well as panel events, which are broadcast to the public online, WEF usually organises informal discussions on a range of issues including climate change. Many of the high-profile participants travel to Davos by private jet, however, drawing accusations of hypocrisy from Greenpeace. On Thursday, it released figures showing that private jet flights to the annual WEF meeting tripled between 2023 and 2025. “It’s pure hypocrisy that the world’s most powerful and super-rich elite discuss global challenges and progress in Davos, while they literally burn the planet with the emissions of their private jets,” said Greenpeace transport campaigner Herwig Schuster. The post Ahead of Davos, climate drops down global elite’s list of pressing concerns appeared first on Climate Home News.

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