Infectious disease and pandemics have replaced climate change in a new survey of the most pressing global risks.

Axa’s Future Risks Report, a ranking of the 10 major emerging risks which is now in its seventh year, says the lower perceived risk of climate change is concerning.

“There is a danger that in focusing on COVID-19 – the issue that is most pressing and visible – other emerging risks such as climate change or pollution get overshadowed,” Axa Group Chief Risk Officer Renaud Guidée said.

The survey of 2700 risk industry experts, plus 20,000 of the general public, finds respondents are now more comfortable with tech risk, and artificial intelligence and Big Data are no longer among the top 10 risks.

Axa says said mental health and a “fake news infodemic’ are “candidates for tomorrow’s top threat” which have not yet fully captured the attention of risk experts.

The other risks alongside pandemic and climate change in the top 10 were Cybersecurity, geopolitical instability, social discontent and local conflicts, new threats to security such as cyber warfare and data privacy, macroeconomic, natural resources and biodiversity, financial risks and pollution.

See Analysis.