There is an important study that provides detailed information about the risks we face globally and broadens the perspectives of both risk managers and business leaders: the Global Risks Report. Readers who follow this column are already familiar with it. The report is based on the Global Risks Perception Survey. This survey is essentially a questionnaire, answered by more than 1,200 academics, private sector professionals, government employees, global experts, and civil society representatives. In other words, it creates a large, important, and comprehensive sample, aiming to reach a group that can represent the world.

These 1,200 individuals evaluate 32 highly important risks in terms of impact and likelihood. Based on the results, the risks are ranked in order of importance, revealing the most significant risks we face in the two- and ten-year future perspectives.

From a two-year perspective, the major risks the world faces are: livelihood crises, natural disasters and extreme weather events, geoeconomic confrontations, failure to mitigate climate change, erosion of social cohesion and societal polarization, large-scale environmental damage, failure of climate change adaptation, widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity, natural resource crises, and large-scale involuntary migration waves. Each of these is a giant in its own right, requiring not only major cooperation but also competent, skilled, and dedicated leaders to manage.

From a ten-year perspective, the risks are as follows: failure to mitigate climate change, failure of climate change adaptation, natural disasters and extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, large-scale involuntary migration waves, natural resource crises, erosion of social cohesion and societal polarization, widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity, geoeconomic confrontations, and large-scale environmental damage.

As I have written before, as the perspective shifts from the short term to the medium and long term, environmental risks appear to loom over us like a nightmare.

And environmental risks have so many dimensions that even if we filled volumes of books, not just this column, it might still be insufficient to address them all.

However, there are some key topics we have touched on from time to time — you will all remember them.

One of these is “water.” As we have written before and as is reported in many sources, the world’s usable water resources are scarce. Even though three-quarters of our planet is covered in water, most of it is salt water. Freshwater accounts for only 2.5% of the total, but since a portion of it exists in the form of ice masses and groundwater, the proportion of usable water drops to 1.2%. And only one-fifth of that is found in sources such as rivers and lakes that we rely on for our water needs. So, even saying water is “scarce” doesn’t fully capture the situation. This resource is “extremely” scarce.

Recent studies make the severity of the situation clearer, showing that humanity is heading toward a dead end. Global water reserves have been declining over the past two decades despite a “dam construction boom” that has increased storage capacity. Researchers from Texas A&M University say climate change is a “critical factor” in reducing water reserve efficiency, but rising water demand (in other words, increased demand from population growth and industrial use) also plays an important role.

Another key topic is “natural disasters and extreme weather events.” Every year we see temperature records being broken. High temperatures not only negatively affect human health and cause many deaths, but they also lead to large-scale forest fires. This year, after major wildfires in Spain as early as March, the wildfires observed in Canada highlighted the seriousness of the issue. There were more than 400 forest fires in Canada. The fires were so large that smoke from the country spread and shrouded even the United States. The negative effects of forest fires are not limited to lost forest assets and economic damages. A scientific review revealed that exposure to forest fire smoke for several days can impact lung function and cause heart problems.

Another important topic is “biodiversity loss.” Climate change is severely affecting every living being on Earth. Some species are even facing the threat of extinction… The news from this area is also disturbing. For example, the report that thousands of fish washed up along the Texas Gulf Coast due to “low dissolved oxygen levels” in warm water may have escaped many of your attention. Officials at Quintana Beach County Park stated that the species most affected by these fish deaths was the Gulf menhaden. Please look up the images online — an entire gulf appeared as if covered with a carpet of fish. Another important piece of news came from Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture, which announced that due to ‘El Nino’ weather events, fish in the warming ocean were diving deep to reach cooler waters, leaving birds unable to catch them — and starving to death.

It is possible to extend the list of examples to glaciers, the slowing of deep-sea currents, and many other alarming issues, but I will stop here.

I am not writing these to frighten you, of course. But it is our duty to warn.

It is still not too late. By adjusting our lifestyles and making firm demands of the companies that produce for us — and cutting off purchases from those that do not comply — we can push them to put their houses in order. Big changes start with small steps. We may not be able to save the short term, but as World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas stated, after the 2060s we may have a chance to reverse the negative effects of climate change.

Until the next article, stay healthy…

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