Global average temperatures are likely to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, with Arctic temperature anomalies expected to continue to be higher than the global mean, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), produced by the UK’s Met Office. The Global Annual-to-Decadal Update also takes a look at the observed climate over the past five years and gives regional predictions for temperatures and precipitation over the next five years.
The Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) has released the first draft version of its framework, marking an important milestone in efforts to improve how businesses and financial institutions understand and report impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities related to people.
An objective, globally consistent framework to measure decoupling between fossil fuel use and economic growth, either through reduced fuel use or shifts toward cleaner/more efficient combustion has been published. Analysing 5,435 cities globally over 2019–2024, the research has identified significant trends for 2,475 cities and classified them into four decoupling states.
New World Resources Institute (WRI) analysis, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, reveals that every $1 invested in preparing for climate-caused health risks can yield up to $68 in benefits for communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Research shows how tools and services like early warning systems and disease surveillance significantly reduce deaths and illness, helping more communities in low- and middle-income countries become more resilient.
Military spending has been increasing for more than a decade, reaching $2.7tr in 2024 and $2.88tr in 2025. Meanwhile, there is a $4tr dollar shortfall in funding needed to achieve the world’s Sustainable Development Goals and, of that, a $2tr funding gap for climate and energy transition action.
Because the conflict in the Middle East is heavily impacting global energy markets, with a knock-on effect on the economy, industry and households, the Commission is taking specific action with notable measures in relation to the transport sector. To ensure sufficient availability of transport fuels and preserve the effective functioning of the single market, the Commission will step up European coordination on the optimisation of fuel distribution across Member States.
The World Bank Group, in partnership with multilateral development banks, development finance institutions and key partners, has launched Water Forward, a global platform to help improve water security for 1bn people by 2030. The platform will align policy reforms, financing, and partnerships to expand reliable water services and strengthen systems against droughts and floods, essential conditions for job creation.
Climate decision-making requires acting on long-term scientific signals with imperfect estimates of financial and societal impact, sometimes well before markets fully price in the risks. Leaders make strategic choices under this uncertainty, which may only become visible to the broader market years later, writes Dr Sarah Kapnick, Global Head of Climate Advisory, Commercial & Investment Bank, J.P. Morgan.
To protect Canada’s lands and waters, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has launched 'A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature'. With an investment of C$3.8bn, Canada’s new nature strategy will protect and restore critical habitats, ensure industrial strategies complement our conservation efforts, and mobilise new capital for nature.
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a rapid analysis – Strait of Hormuz disruptions: Implications for global trade and development – examining the implications of recent disruptions to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical trade corridors.
Europol has successfully coordinated a large-scale operation targeting organised crime networks involved in waste and pollution crime. The global operation, code-named ‘Custos Viridis’, took place between January and December 2025 on five continents, with Europol working alongside partners from 71 countries and numerous international organisations.
Every business depends on biodiversity, and every business impacts biodiversity. The growth of the global economy has been at the cost of immense biodiversity loss, which now poses a critical and pervasive systemic risk to the economy, financial stability and human wellbeing. This is a central finding of a report published by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Global investment in clean fuels will need to quadruple by 2030 to meet global clean fuel ambitions, according to a new World Economic Forum report 'Fuelling the Future: How Business, Finance and Policy can Accelerate the Clean Fuels Market', developed in collaboration with Bain & Company. Highlighting the potential of the sector to stimulate job growth and diversify energy supply, the report sets out policy, business and financing measures that can turn global goals into credible, economically viable projects.
Severe convective storms (SCS) have surpassed tropical cyclones to become the costliest insured peril of the 21st century, according to Aon's annual Climate and Catastrophe Insight report. The report shows how increasingly common, high-volume events are reshaping global loss patterns and highlights the critical importance of both physical and financial resilience to help organisations manage volatility and unlock insurability.
Global cooperation is proving resilient even as multilateralism continues to face strong headwinds, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Cooperation Barometer 2026. However, cooperation is below where it needs to be to address critical economic, security and environmental challenges. Dialogue is a critical factor in identifying pathways that advance shared interests.