[The Asahi Glass Foundation] Announces the Results of the 32nd Annual “Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”
2023.09.06
The Results of the 32nd Annual “Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”are available in the report of the “32nd Annual Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind,” or online at the Foundation’s web site,
https://www.af-info.or.jp/en/
The results of the Survey on the Awareness of Environmental Issues Among the General Public in Japan and other 24 countries are also available on our website.
The Asahi Glass Foundation (Chairman: Takuya Shimamura) has conducted an annual survey with environmental experts from around the world since 1992. This year, we sent the questionnaire to 202 countries around the world, and received responses from 1,805 people in 130 countries. Below are the main points from this year’s questionnaire results. Further details are available in the report of the “32nd Annual Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind,” or online at the Foundation’s web site,
Summary
・The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock has turned back for three consecutive years since 2021, striking 9:31 in 2023.
・Looking at the time on the Clock around the world, the Clock went back more than 10 minutes compared to last year in South America, Western Europe, and the Middle East; but it moved forward more than 20 minutes in Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union.
・Climate Change" has been the top environmental issue since 2011 that the respondents worldwide have had on their minds in determining the time on the Clock.
・With regard to transitioning to a decarbonized society, the results showed an equal lack of progress in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” compared with “Public Awareness.”
・Regarding the world’s problems, “13. Climate Action” was the most selected as the goal that respondents are most concerned about, followed by “1. No Poverty,” and “16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.”
I. Level of the Crisis Facing Human Survival - The Environmental Doomsday Clock
I-1 The Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock
・The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock for the world had been moving forward since 2011. However, it has turned back for three consecutive years, striking 9:31 in 2023.
Regions with significant changes in the time on the Clock compared to last year
• In South America the time is 9:22, which is 21 minutes earlier than last year.
• In Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union the time is 10:01, which is 24 minutes later than last year.
・Regarding the change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, since 1996, the time on the clock has consistently remained in the 9 o'clock range, in the “Extremely Concerned” quadrant, with the exception of the year 2000.
I-2 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation (2014 - 2023)
・The survey respondents aged 60 and over tended to report more advanced times on the Clock than other age groups.
・This year, the time reported by respondents in their 40s and 50s moved forward by five minutes. As a result, the difference in the time between those in their 20s & 30s and the older age groups (40s and above) has become pronounced.
・There is a high number of survey respondents from China and those in their 20s and 30s, who account for nearly 90% of the total number of respondents from China, seem to consider that environmental issues in China have improved due to the environmental measures being taken by the Chinese government.
II. “Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account” in Determining the Time on the Clock
In determining the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, the questionnaire asked respondents to select, from the following nine categories of environmental problems, the three most pressing issues for the country or region where they reside, and rank them in order of importance. (See the Questionnaire Report for further details.)
Nine Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account:
1. Climate Change, 2. Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity), 3. Land-system Change (Land Use),
4. Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination), 5. Water Resources, 6. Population, 7. Food,
8. Lifestyle (Consumption Habits), 9. Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures
II-1 Weighted Average Selection Percentage of the Nine Environmental Issues
・As in the last year, “Climate Change” (30%) was the most often selected category among the “environmental issues to be taken into account,” which are used to calculate the time on the worldwide Environmental Doomsday Clock. This was followed by “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” (13%). The percentage of each issue has changed little for over six years.
II-2 Weighted Average Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock of the Nine Environmental Issues
When arranging the “environmental issues to be taken into account” for the entire world in order of descending time on the Clock, “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” (9:59) and “Climate Change” (9:33) were all closer to midnight than the world’s average time of 9:31.
III. Signs of Improvement in the Approach to Environmental Issues: Comparison with the Situation Prior to 2015, When the Paris Agreement and SDGs Were Adopted
Signs of improvement were investigated from the three perspectives, (1) Public Awareness, (2) Policies and Legal System, and (3) Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities). We asked, from a list of “Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account,” the respondent’s opinion on whether there have been signs of improvement in the approach to global environmental issues with respect to a decarbonized society and where they saw signs of improvement.
We calculated the average score by quantifying the answers on whether there had been any improvements and giving a score of -2 for the answer “Not improved at all,” -1 for the answer “Somewhat not improved,” 0 for the answer “Cannot say either way,” +1 for the answer “Somewhat improved,” and +2 for the answer “Definitely improved.”
III-1 Progress in a Transition to a Decarbonized Society
・Overall, with regard to transitioning to a decarbonized society, the results showed an equal lack of progress in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” compared with “Public Awareness.”
III-2 Categories Showing Signs of Improvement
・The category most frequently selected for showing signs of improvement was “Climate Change” at 27.0%, followed by “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” at 16.3%, and“ Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” at 12.7%.
・Concerning efforts against “Climate Change, the respondents see more improvements in “Public Awareness (1.28)”than in “Policies and Legal System (0.75) and “Social Infrastructure (0.71).” The score of each issue has changed little since last year.
IV Awareness and Realization of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Regarding the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), we asked the respondents to choose and rank three goals (out of the 17 SDGs) in which respondents are most interested, in their daily lives and three goals that respondents are most concerned about, regarding the world’s problems. Responses were analyzed by the 1st-3rd summation method, and the results are shown in Tables 9-1 and 9-2. More detailed data is available in the 2023 annual report of the survey.
・In respondents’ world view, “13. Climate Action,” “3. Good Health and Well-being,” and “7. Affordable and Clean Energy,” and “15 Life on Land” were selected in many countries as the goals in which they are most interested, in their daily lives. The choices for goals 3 and 7 may reflect the feelings of respondents who wish for daily health after going through the COVID-19 pandemic and are frustrated by the recent rise in energy prices.
・In most countries and regions, “13. Climate Action” was most frequently selected as the world problem that respondents are most concerned about, followed by “1. No Poverty,” and “16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.” It is clear that many people around the world are concerned about climate change as the world problem and have it at the forefront of their minds in their daily lives.
Regarding realization of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2030, we asked the respondents to choose and rank three goals (out of the 17 SDGs) that will have the highest/lowest level of realization in 2030, in terms of the realization level in the respondents’ own country/region. Responses were analyzed by the 1st-3rd summation method, and the results are shown in Tables 10-1 and 10-2. More detailed data is available in the 2023 annual report of the survey.
In many countries and regions, “6. Clean Water and Sanitation,” “4. Quality Education, and “2. Zero Hunger“ were selected, on average, as goals that will have the highest level of realization in 2030.
・In the respondents’ own country or region,“1. No Poverty,” “13. Climate Action,” and “10. Reduced Inequalities” were most commonly selected as goals that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. These are common major challenges worldwide.
・The number of respondents who think it is difficult to achieve "5. Gender Equality" in their own countries by 2030 is particularly high in Japan, China, and Korea.
This survey includes a section where respondents are invited to provide their opinions and write about the environmental realities they face in their region of the world, as well as offer suggestions for improvement. Within the many responses we received from various countries, the respondents provided meaningful opinions and comments. As in previous years, we will post a selection of opinions and comments on the Asahi Glass Foundation website at 11a.m. on September 6, 2023. Please read through the candid opinions of environmental experts.
https://www. af-info.or.jp/en/
●Facts about This Year’s Questionnaire
Survey period: April to June 2023
Respondents:
Environmental experts who work or who have worked for national or local governments, NGOs, NPOs, universities, research institutions, corporations, and mass media, worldwide (listed on the Asahi Glass Foundation database).
Number of questionnaires mailed: 29,729
Number of questionnaires returned: 1,805
Response rate: 6.1%
［Contact］
Toshihiro Tanuma, PhD, Director, Commendation, “Blue Planet Prize”
The Asahi Glass Foundation
2nd Floor, Science Plaza 5-3 Yonbancho Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 102-0081, Japan
Phone: +81-3-5275-0620 Fax: +81-3-5275-0871 e-mail: post@af-info.or.jp URL: https://www.af-info.or.jp
