Climate change overtakes COVID-19 as main cause for global concern
Events such as the COP26 conference prompted the shift
The climate change crisis has now overtaken infectious diseases and pandemics as the biggest global concern.
Results from a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum found that extreme weather, loss of biodiversity and failure to act on the crisis were the things that worried experts most.
As a result of the COP26 Climate Conference, which thrust the issue of global warming into the spotlight, issues such as coronavirus are less feared, according to the research.
Climate change topping the list is not new, however, as global warming had been the most concerning threat the planet in early 2020 before the pandemic hit.
The issue had also been pressing in other surveys from 2016, shortly after the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Other issues that posed an issue for experts included cybersecurity, vaccine equality and the growing economic inequality between developed and developing nations.
In total, the survey painted a bleak picture for the world, with 84% of people responding to the survey that they were either worried or concerned about the outlook for the world.
Speaking about the results, Peter Giger, chief risk officer at Zurich Insurance Group, said that climate change "remains the biggest long-term threat facing humanity".
"Failure to act on climate change could shrink global GDP by one-sixth and the commitments taken at Cop26 are still not enough to achieve the 1.5C goal," he said.
"It is not too late for governments and businesses to act on the risks they face and to drive an innovative, determined and inclusive transition that protects economies and people."