Global leaders say the escalation of armed conflict is the most urgent threat in 2025, but the climate emergency is expected to attract the greatest attention over the next decade, according to the World Economic Forum.

Ahead of next week's annual gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the World Economic Forum asked more than 900 leaders from business, politics and academia what risks they are most concerned about.

Looking ahead to the next 12 months, 23% of respondents are concerned about "state-based armed conflict" as Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine and a series of other deadly conflicts continue in places such as South Sudan and Gaza.

As devastating wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles, 14% of respondents cited "extreme weather events" as the second most common risk in 2025.

A series of severe floods, droughts and fires throughout last year highlighted the impact of the climate crisis on weather patterns, with scientists finding that global warming is making such events more likely and, in many cases, more extreme.

When global leaders were asked to look ahead and identify the biggest risks facing the world over the next decade, four of their top ten responses related to the climate crisis.

Extreme weather events were the most commonly chosen option, followed by biodiversity loss, "significant changes to the Earth system" and natural resource shortages.

Gim Huay Neo, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, said: “The climate and nature crises require urgent attention and action. In 2024, annual global warming will reach a record 1.54 degrees Celsius, 1.54 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, and many of the world’s The region has experienced unprecedented catastrophic weather events.”

Next on the list of threats are two issues related to technological innovation: “misinformation and disinformation,” followed by “adverse consequences of artificial intelligence technologies.”

The survey was conducted late last year, but concerns about misinformation are intensifying as Donald Trump returns to power this month, working closely with Silicon Valley leaders who support sweeping deregulation of the online sector.

Meta announced it would abandon fact-checking and work with the Trump administration to resist attempts by other countries to control social media platforms.

Many governments, including the UK's, hope that AI will deliver much-needed productivity gains; but even some of the technology's supporters are warning of some of the risks.

In extreme cases, these include the idea that if AI becomes smarter than humans, it could pose an existential risk to humanity.

This year's weeklong Davos meeting will take place in the shadow of Trump's inauguration - where the new president will speak virtually next Thursday.

Organizers expect 60 heads of state and government to attend, as well as chief executives and activists. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who is under pressure following turmoil in bond markets, told MPs on Tuesday she would attend the meeting "to demonstrate that the UK is one of the best places in the world to invest".

The gathering of 3,000 people, titled "A Call for Cooperation in the Smart Age," comes as Trump is expected to pull back on cooperation on a range of global issues, including the climate crisis.

The new president is expected to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement and define its approach to fossil fuel extraction as "drilling, baby drilling."

Trump has also repeatedly called on U.S. NATO alliance defense partners, including the United Kingdom, to significantly increase defense spending.

Delegates in Davos will hear a speech from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who hopes to drum up global support for Ukraine's war with Russia. Trump claims he will end the conflict quickly, although it is unclear how he intends to do that.