Global catastrophic risks are events or developments that could severely affect the lives of large numbers of people across multiple continents or even threaten the foundations of civilization. These include, for example, environmental, technological, or security risks whose effects extend far beyond individual countries or regions and require global cooperation.
The Global Challenges Foundation is a Swedish non-profit organization that focuses on precisely these global catastrophic risks. In its latest report for 2026, renowned experts highlight five of the greatest risks facing humanity today – and discuss how they can be better understood, mitigated, and addressed through international cooperation.
- Catastrophic climate change: The first chapter highlights how ongoing and accelerating climate change can lead to extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and profound ecological upheaval if greenhouse gases continue to increase unabated.
- Ecological collapse: The second chapter is devoted to the loss of biodiversity and the failure of vital ecosystems such as rainforests, oceans, and coral reefs. This not only endangers the environment but also threatens food systems, health, and economic stability.
- Weapons of mass destruction: Despite disarmament efforts, nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons remain a serious threat. Chapter three focuses on the risks of war, escalation, and the uncontrolled proliferation of such technologies.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) in military decision-making processes: The growing use of AI to support or automate military decisions brings with it potentially dangerous dynamics and unintended risks – from technical failure to the escalation of conflicts.
- Near-Earth asteroids: Natural hazards – such as asteroids that could come close to or strike the Earth – are also analyzed. While such events are rare, their impact would be devastating in the event of a direct hit.
In all chapters, the authors emphasize that although these risks vary in probability, together they have enormous potential for damage. Stronger and coordinated global governance is crucial to effectively mitigate them.
Further information and the full report are available for download here.