Experts Name Climate Change as the Top Global Risk in 2024: A Comprehensive Analysis

 Experts Name Climate Change as the Top Global Risk in 2024: A Comprehensive Analysis

In a recent survey conducted by the World Economic Forum (WEF-Davos Forum), experts worldwide have collectively identified climate change as the "greatest risk to humanity in 2024." This significant shift from the previous year's focus on war and livelihood crises underscores the growing urgency of environmental concerns.

Key Points:

• The WEF-Davos Forum Global Risk Report 2024 reveals that "extreme weather" is the most potent and widely disruptive risk of the year.
• A survey involving 1,490 experts from around the world ranked "extreme weather" as the top risk for this year, the short term (2-5 years), and the long term (5-10 years).
• Last year's "cost of living crisis" due to the Russian-Ukrainian war gave way to the prominence of "extreme weather" as the top risk.
• Other notable risks include "fake information created by artificial intelligence," "social and political conflicts," livelihood crises, and cybersecurity.

Long-Term Environmental Risks:

• The top four long-term risks are all related to climate and the environment, including catastrophic changes to Earth's systems, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and natural resource scarcity.

Global Climate Predictions:

• The report forecasts that global temperatures will surpass the "1.5-degree threshold" in the early 2030s, aligning with IPCC's climate change scenarios.
• Anticipated consequences include increased storm surge damage, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, reduced agricultural production, and climate-induced poverty and conflict.

Warning Against Underestimation:

• The report emphasizes that climate change's impacts accumulate over time, affecting food, water, health, and security. Underestimating or dismissing these impacts could result in a loss of control over the climate.

Insights from South Korean Respondents:

• South Korean respondents, mainly researchers from the Korea Development Institute (KDI), identified 34 global risks, with a focus on economic downturns, household debt, asset bubbles bursting, labor shortages, wealth, and income inequality, and inflation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Q: Why is "extreme weather" considered the top global risk?

   • A: Experts believe it poses the most potent and widely disruptive threat in 2024.

2. Q: What are the long-term environmental risks mentioned in the report?

   • A: Catastrophic changes to Earth's systems, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and natural resource scarcity are the top four.

3. Q: How does climate change impact global temperatures and ecosystems?

   • A: The report predicts surpassing the "1.5-degree threshold" by the early 2030s, leading to increased storm surge damage, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and more.

4. Q: What are the anticipated consequences of climate change?

   • A: Anticipated consequences include climate-induced poverty and conflict, reduced agricultural production, and various environmental challenges.

5. Q: What risks did South Korean respondents highlight?

   • A: South Korean respondents, mainly from the Korea Development Institute, focused on economic downturns, household debt, asset bubbles bursting, labor shortages, wealth and income inequality, and inflation.

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