The World Economic Forum's (WEF) latest Global Risks Report identifies climate-related issues among the top global risks the world will face over the next ten years, both in terms of likelihood and impact; extreme weather as the second most likely major risk; and the failure to adapt to climate change among the top five global risks in terms of impact.

In the report's tenth edition, interstate conflict with regional consequences tops the list as the number one global risk in terms of likelihood, with water crises ranking highest in terms of impact, and environmental risks gaining more prominence than economic ones due to a negative assessment of preparations to cope with such challenges as extreme weather and climate change.

The report, which assesses global risks in terms of likelihood and potential impact, also lists failure of national governance systems, State collapse or crisis, and high structural unemployment or underemployment as risks with high likelihoods over the next ten years. Approximately 900 experts participating in the Global Risk Perception Survey rated water crises as the greatest risk facing the world, with rapid and massive spread of infectious diseases, weapons of mass destruction and failure of climate change adaptation in the top five.

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