Global Conflict, Extreme Weather Top 2025 Concerns in Global Risks Report

World Economic Forum survey details mounting risk concerns across geopolitical, environmental and technological spheres through 2035.

By: R&I Editorial Team | January 15, 2025

At the start of 2025, experts are concerned about escalating global challenges, including rising geopolitical tensions, climate crisis and misinformation, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2025.

The report, which surveyed over 900 global leaders across business, government, academia and civil society worldwide, identified state-based armed conflict and extreme weather events as the top immediate risks, with environmental concerns and AI-related risks dominating the long-term outlook.

The 2025 survey examines risks through immediate (2025), short-term (2027), and long-term (2035) lenses. More than half of the respondents (52%) characterize the next two years as “unsettled” for the world, while 31% expect it to be “turbulent.” Perhaps most concerning, 5% predict a “stormy” outlook, with global catastrophic risks looming, by 2027.

“Rising geopolitical tensions, a fracturing of global trust and the climate crisis are straining the global system like never before,” said Mirek Dušek, managing director of the World Economic Forum. “In a world marked by deepening divides and cascading risks, global leaders have a choice: to foster collaboration and resilience, or face compounding instability. The stakes have never been higher.”

Top Risks for 2025

The survey highlights five key areas of concern for the immediate future. State-based armed conflict has emerged as the primary worry, with 23% of respondents identifying it as the most likely global crisis in 2025. This is followed by extreme weather events (14%), geo-economic confrontation (8%), misinformation and disinformation (7%), and societal polarization (6%).

The emergence of state-based armed conflict as the top concern marks a significant shift in global risk perceptions. This change reflects the escalating tensions and conflicts witnessed in recent years, including the ongoing situations in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Sudan.

“We seem to be living in one of the most divided times since the Cold War, and this is reflected in the results of the GRPS, which reveal a bleak outlook across all three time horizons – current, short-term and long-term,” the report’s authors stated.

Top Risks Through 2027

Beyond immediate concerns, the survey also identified the top risks that are expected to dominate the global agenda through 2027. Misinformation and disinformation continue to reign supreme, maintaining their position as the leading concern for the second consecutive year.

The persistence of misinformation and disinformation as the top risk for the second year running is a stark reminder of the pervasive nature of this threat, according to the report. False or misleading content continues to complicate the geopolitical environment, influencing voter intentions, sowing doubt about events in conflict zones and even being weaponized to tarnish the reputation of products or services from rival nations, the report stated.

Extreme weather events claim the No. 2 spot on the 2027 list, reflecting the growing urgency of climate-related challenges. The third position is now occupied by state-based armed conflict, a significant jump from its previous fifth-place ranking. This shift highlights the escalating tensions in various regions and the potential for further geopolitical instability.

Rounding out the top five are societal polarization and cyber espionage and warfare, both of which underscore the interconnected nature of social and technological challenges facing the global community.

Top Long-Term Risks

Looking ahead to 2035, the global risk landscape over the next 10 years is set to be dominated by environmental concerns, the report finds.

Extreme weather events, already a pressing issue, are expected to become the top concern over the next decade. This outlook is further compounded by four other critical environmental risks: biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, critical changes to Earth systems and natural resource shortages. Rounding out the top five long-term risks is the persistent threat of misinformation and disinformation.

While environmental risks dominate the top long-term risks, the technological realm is not without its challenges. Artificial Intelligence (AI), once considered a distant concern, is rapidly climbing the ranks of global risks. The survey indicates a dramatic shift in perception, with AI risks rising from 31st place in list of concerns in 2027 to 6th place in ranking of the longer term by 2035.

Despite the current optimism surrounding AI technologies and their widespread adoption, the report cautions that the fast-paced nature of AI development and its increasing ubiquity could lead to unforeseen consequences.

View the complete World Economic Forum Global Risks Report here. &

The R&I Editorial Team can be reached at [email protected].

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Not Your Average Workers’ Compensation and Auto PPO

Here are four reasons why Horizon Casualty Services is a leader in the workers’ comp and auto PPO space.

Horizon Casualty Services, Inc. (HCS), an affiliate of Horizon BCBS NJ (Horizon), is the cornerstone in the management of workers’ compensation (WC) and personal injury protection (PIP) services in New Jersey. Headquartered in Newark, NJ, HCS provides a service that each of us may need to access at some point, but only if faced with an injury in the workplace or in an automobile accident – something that we don’t often consider.

HCS is a state approved workers’ compensation managed care organization (WCMCO) that offers a comprehensive suite of administrative, provider network and medical management services. These services are designed to achieve the best possible outcomes for injured individuals and a few examples include:

1) Robust Network and Provider Directory Management: HCS identifies providers with WC and PIP experience and contracts with the services most needed by the injured individual. HCS is contracted with nearly all hospitals and all level 1 and level 2 trauma centers in the State of New Jersey. We identify initial treaters, specialists, physical therapy centers, ambulatory surgical centers, urgent care providers, diagnostic centers and more. Using a proprietary formula, the best providers are highlighted so that clients can rest assured their injured claimants are in the right hands.

2) Referral Services/Appointment Scheduling: HCS facilitates the referral of claimants to in-network providers to ensure they receive the most appropriate care at the most appropriate cost.

3) Utilization Management: When appropriate, HCS Registered Nurses work to summarize claimant discharges from hospitals. This process allows clients to have a clear and concise summary to determine next steps for managing the claim.

4) Monitoring and Evaluating Provider Performance: Registered Nurses continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of providers, as this is crucial to maintaining the quality of care within the network. HCS also offers clients, at no additional cost, access to the Outcomes Focused Network; a highly scrutinized subset of the overall network where each provider is rigorously reviewed by HCS nurses to ensure that they provide quality care, access in-network facilities and provider articulate causation statements.

Jackie Alonso, President of Horizon Casualty Services (HCS)

Jackie Alonso, President of HCS, has stated “HCS offers unparalleled service and an unbeatable PPO product in the NJ workers’ compensation and auto space. Coupled with our proprietary software, highly skilled and WC/PIP savvy team, and a deep understanding of the marketplace, HCS offers its clients an impeccable product with the deepest network discounts. We work lockstep with our Horizon peers and being backed by the largest healthcare carrier in NJ sets us apart and allows HCS to thrive in the community.”

Alonso continued, “this [2024] year, we made a concerted effort to get out into the community and have attended multiple fairs and conferences, as both participants and exhibitors. This shift in how we engage with our clients and prospects has allowed us to think more innovatively about how we evolve our products and services. Listening to the voice and feedback from all of our stakeholders and understanding it is about meeting them where they are at. This is how we maintain our impeccable product and showcase it across the region.”

HCS partners with providers and collaborates with them in the local community which allows clients to experience how a best-in-class WC and Auto PPO should work.

For More Information

For more information, email Jed Hoban, HCS Business Development Executive, at [email protected] or visit or visit https://www.horizonblue.com/horizoncasualty/.

About HCS

HCS, an affiliate of Horizon, in business since 1994, is a leading PPO in New Jersey WC and PIP. HCS has a 100% direct-contracted provider network that includes almost all New Jersey acute care hospitals. The network delivers significant overall savings and, with its deep focus on precision, an extremely low appeals rate. Its PPO results, combined with its Healthcare Value Strategy and Outcomes Focused Network, enable insurers to be the best at delivering quality medical care to claimants at the right cost — clearly a win-win for all. HCS and Horizon are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

This article was produced by the R&I Brand Studio, a unit of the advertising department of Risk & Insurance, in collaboration with Horizon Casualty Services, Inc. The editorial staff of Risk & Insurance had no role in its preparation.

Horizon Casualty Services Inc., an affiliate of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, in business since 1994, is a leading PPO in New Jersey workers' compensation and personal injury protection. The company's 100% direct-contracted provider network includes almost all New Jersey acute care hospitals, significant overall WC savings and, with its deep focus on precision, an extremely low WC appeals rate of 0.2%. Its PPO results, combined with its WC healthcare value and OFN strategy, enables insurers to be the best at delivering quality medical care to claimants at the right cost — clearly a win-win for all.