The comprehensive research, which addressed 17 major risks that threaten health and lifespan around the world, was shared with the public at the World Health Summit held in Berlin, Germany. The report, prepared with a three-year study by 35 experts, draws attention to the magnitude of the dangers and emphasizes that there are realistic solutions for each of them.
In the research, nuclear war and malicious use of artificial intelligence ranked highest due to their low probability of occurrence but devastating effects. It was stated that nuclear conflicts could cause famine by closing the atmosphere, while artificial intelligence-supported biological weapons could cause an unprecedented disaster for humanity. Experts stated that these risks have the potential to create a doomsday scenario.
Other major threats on the list include air pollution, antimicrobial resistance, child malnutrition, climate crisis, traditional conflicts and cuts in foreign aid. While obesity and mental health problems came to the fore in high-income regions, low education levels were noted as the main factors threatening health in low-income regions.
In recent years, many rich countries, including the USA and the UK, have restricted their foreign aid budgets, posing a risk to global health. It has been calculated that if international health aid decreases or collapses, billions of years of healthy life may be lost by 2100, approximately 70 percent of which will be felt in Sub-Saharan Africa. The region is also among the places most affected by the child malnutrition crisis.
