National risk perceptions: Pollution (air, water, soil) FIGURE 2.7 Source World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey 2024.Executive Opinion Survey rank of national risks from the question “Which ﬁve risks are the most likely to pose the biggest threat to your country in the next two years?” 1st10th20th31stRank respiratory conditions, strokes, heart attacks and cancer, as well as to early childhood development issues and long-term effects on cognition and health.13 The particles of black carbon also affect the ecosystem by increasing plant surface temperature, interfering with rainfall and diminishing sunlight, which has a significant effect on crop losses each year.14 Black carbon contributes to accelerating the melting of ice and snow in polar and mountainous areas. Tackling black carbon is a “win-win” for both air Pollution and climate, as it is a particle that is up to 1,500 times stronger than carbon dioxide (CO2) per unit of mass.15 While atmospheric warming is an emerging area of research on black carbon, any efforts to tackle the reduction of black carbon offer a quicker solution when combined with ongoing reduction of CO2. Sources of black carbon vary from region to region and include sectors such as energy use (commercial and residential), industrial production, agricultural burning, combustion-powered cookstoves, and forest wildfires. Addressing black carbon emissions has the potential to slow the rate of warming of the climate by up to 50% worldwide and up to two-thirds in the Arctic,16 and can be achieved through cost-effective, affordable measures.17 Methane Methane is a powerful SLCP with a warming potential over 80 times that of CO2 over a 20- year period, which makes it a major contributor to climate change.18 The main sources of methane emissions include fossil fuels, agriculture and waste. Methane has a relatively short atmospheric lifetime of approximately 12 years, which means that efforts to reduce methane can yield relatively rapid climate benefits.19 It is a major precursor to ground- level ozone, an air pollutant that poses health risks, decreases agricultural yields, and stresses ecosystems.20 Failure to reduce methane emissions is recognized as one of the most significant short-term risks for limiting near-term global temperature rise.21 The Global Methane Pledge (GMP), supported by 159 countries, has set an ambitious target to cut global methane emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels.22 Meeting the GMP has the potential to reduce warming by at least 0.2 °C by 2050 and Global Risks Report 2025 50