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The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2025 reveals an increasingly fragmented and unstable global landscape, with escalating geopolitical conflicts, environmental disasters, and societal polarization threatening worldwide stability. The 20th edition of the report, launched on January 15, 2025, surveys over 900 global leaders, experts, and policymakers, underscoring the growing urgency for cooperation to confront these interconnected crises.

State-based armed conflict emerges as the most immediate global risk for 2025, with nearly 25% of respondents identifying it as the greatest threat. The survey highlights rising geopolitical tensions and deteriorating international cooperation as key drivers of this growing concern. For the second consecutive year, misinformation and disinformation top the short-term risks, threatening to undermine trust in governance and fuel societal instability.

Misinformation and Disinformation: An Ongoing Threat

The report highlights the persistent challenge posed by misinformation, which continues to destabilize political systems and public trust. With divisive rhetoric and false narratives increasingly spreading across global networks, experts warn that these risks could inflame tensions between nations and within societies, complicating efforts to address the urgent challenges of climate change, economic inequality, and health crises.

"The erosion of truth is a fundamental challenge," said Mark Elsner, Head of the Global Risks Initiative. "Misinformation is a fire that, if not contained, will spread uncontrollably, deepening divisions and hampering our ability to tackle the global crises we face."

As disinformation campaigns grow more sophisticated and widespread, leaders are urged to find effective ways to counter these falsehoods, emphasizing the critical need for transparency, media literacy, and international collaboration to safeguard democracy and stability.

Environmental Collapse: A Long-Term Threat to Humanity

Looking further into the future, the report underscores those environmental risks, led by extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse, are the most pressing concerns for the next decade. Climate change continues to intensify, with more frequent natural disasters threatening both human lives and global economies. The accelerating loss of biodiversity and the depletion of natural resources could trigger severe disruptions across agriculture, water supply, and energy systems.

"Environmental degradation is a ticking time bomb," said Mirek Dušek, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum. "If we do not act now, we will face an irreversible collapse of our natural systems, with profound consequences for our way of life."

The report calls for urgent international efforts to mitigate these risks through sustainable development, conservation initiatives, and strengthened global frameworks to address the climate crisis. Failure to act, it warns, could leave future generations grappling with an even more volatile world.

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