Forward
It may sound a bit boring, but I am a big fan of rules. From dividing a cake, to how we regulate the use of advanced technology. Rules offered protection for me as I was the smallest in the classroom and the youngest of my siblings. When handling conflicts, a rules-based order is a good thing for us who reject the idea that “might is right”. It offers a kind of protection when choosing a stance in a power game and might even give us a say in creating those rules.
Our planetary commons — the shared systems that sustain life — have a weak voice in our decision-making systems. Space, the deep sea, freshwater, forests, and ice are not the infinite resources we once imagined but are part of a delicate balance, providing us with a life-sustaining environment. Never did I think that the Greenland Ice Sheet had anything to do with my future. Yet, human activities have affected ice sheets and other commons to such a degree that theywill, inevitably, affect us all.
Welcome to the Global Challenges Foundation’s (GCF) Global Catastrophic Risks report 2026. In the following pages, we present today’s most threatening global catastrophic risks against human life on Earth. This is an exercise we have been doing since GCF was founded by László Szombatfalvy in 2012. As Johan Rockström and Fatima Denton describe in the chapter on Earth system stability, each of the risks described are deeply interconnected. Man-made risks such as climate changes, biodiversity collapse, weapons of mass destruction and the military use of artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be addressed in isolated silos. As climate and environment become increasingly intertwined with peace and secrity, we need a paradigm shift in international cooperation — one that bridges silos and reflects today’s interconnected risks.
Each section of this report highlights a different risk. Each risk section begins with a two-page overview of the background, current development and existing governance — or the lack of it. This is followed by an article exploring a specific theme concerning the risk and potential pathways forward. The articles are written by some of the world’s most recognised scientists and experts in their fields. That does not mean that we are turning away from other voices, perspectives and solutions. On the contrary, the purpose of this report is to stimulate open debate on how to understand, address and mitigate these risks. Civil society must be part of policy-making to protect ecosystems, and non-nuclear states must have a voice in nuclear risk-reduction discussions — especially those already affected by cross-border threats…
Read and download the report here.
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