From Japan straight out to the world: the web site for news and information

https://www.af-info.or.jp/en/ed_clock/news/results-of-the-34th-annual-questionnaire.html 

 

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 1,751 people in 121 countries. Below are the main points from this year’s questionnaire results. Further details are available in the report of the “34th Annual Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind,” or online at the Foundation's website, starting at 11 a.m. September 10, 2025.

 

Summary
・After the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock had gone back for those four consecutive years from 2021 to 2024, it moved forward by six minutes from last year, striking 9:33.
・The three most often selected categories of the “environmental issues to be taken into account” were the same as last year: “Climate Change”, “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)”, and “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures.”
・With regard to the transition to a decarbonized society, the result shows that the advances made in “policies and legal system” and “social infrastructure” were less pronounced than those for “public awareness.”
・With the goal of total achievement of the 17 SDGs by 2030, the average perceived level globally of all SDG achievement as of 2025 was 33.7%.
・By employment type, 51% of respondents working for corporations indicated that the actions of the central or local governments are most important. In contrast, only 27% of those working in the central government chose the central government as the most important sector.

1. Level of the Crisis Facing Human Survival - The Environmental Doomsday Clock
1.1 The Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock
・The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock moved forward by six minutes from last year, striking 9:33. From 2021 to 2024, the time on the Clock had gone back for those four consecutive years, but this is the first time in eight years since 2017 that it has shown a worsening situation of more than two minutes.
・By region, the time on the Clock moved forward in many areas including Asia, Oceania, North America, South America, Western Europe, and the Middle East. Notably, the time worsened significantly in the Middle East (by 34 minutes), Oceania (by 23 minutes), and Western Europe (by 14 minutes).
 
1.2 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation (2015 - 2024)
・The survey respondents aged 60 and over tended to report more advanced times on the Clock than other age groups. 
・This year, the time on the Clock moved forward among respondents in their 20s to 50s, while it moved backward among those aged 60 and over. A clear divide exists between older and younger generations in how they perceive the current state of environmental issues. 

 

2 “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

2.1 Weighted Average Selection Percentage of the Nine Environmental Issues
・As in the last year, “Climate Change” (29%) 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 seven years.

2.2 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)” (9:50) and “Climate Change” (9:39) were all closer to midnight than the world’s average time of 9:31.

3 Awareness of the issues of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
Among the various environmental issues, climate change and biodiversity loss are garnering significant attention. From the three perspectives of "public awareness," "policies and legal system," and "social infrastructure," we asked respondents about the progress of the "transition to a decarbonized society" for the mitigation of global warming and the "conservation and restoration of wildlife habitats" in their respective countries.

Average scores were calculated by assigning the following values: '-2' for 'Not improved at all,' '-1' for 'Somewhat not improved, ''0' for 'Neither improved nor not improved,' '+1' for 'Somewhat improved,' and '+2' for 'Definitely improved,'.

3.1 Progress in a Transition to a Decarbonized Society
・Overall, with regard to transitioning to a decarbonized society, the results show considerably lower scores for three years running in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” compared to “Public Awareness.”

3.2 Progress in the Conservation and Restoration of Wildlife Habitats
・Relatively few people believe that the conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat is progressing, and it is generally considered to be lagging behind the transition to a decarbonized society.
・A significant proportion of people in their 20s and 30s hold the view that conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat is making more headway compared to previous generations. 

4 Awareness of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Regarding the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), three goals that will have the highest and lowest level of realization in 2030 were analyzed (multiple-answer question), and the results are shown in Tables 3-1 and 3-2. More detailed data is available in the 2025 annual report of the survey. 

・The top three choices selected as likely to be achieved at a high level in respondents’ own countries or regions by 2030 were: “There are no goals with any material level of realization in 2030” (25%), “9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” (21%), and “6. Clean Water and Sanitation” (19%).

We asked how much progress the respondents think has been made towards achieving the 17 SDGs overall as of 2024, with 100% representing complete achievement of all goals. The numbers were provided from 1 to 100 in increments of 5. Figure 8 shows the distribution of the average perceived level of all SDGs achievement (%) as of 2025.

・A total of 14.1% of respondents indicated a 0% achievement level, and the overall average perceived achievement level was 33.7%.
・The 2025 Report (Fig. 8) reveals a significant difference in the perceived level of SDG achievement across generations. Respondents in their 20s and 30s feel that the level of SDG achievement as of 2025 is over 40%, whereas those in their 50s and older feel it has not even reached 30%, indicating a significant generational gap in perceptions of progress.

5 Perceptions of Actions Needed to Solve Environmental Issues
We asked respondents whose actions they believe are most important in addressing environmental issues. Figure 9 shows the percentage of respondents by region and their selected option in response to the question.

・In all regions, the highest percentage of respondents selected central government.
・The proportion of those who chose central or local governments was higher in Asia and Eastern Europe & the Former Soviet Union, and lower in the Middle East and Africa.

・Among respondents from central governments and NGOs/NPOs, less than 30% selected the central government as the most important participant.
・Among corporate respondents, 68% believed that the actions of central and local governments combined are the most important.

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 10, 2025. Please read through the candid opinions of environmental experts.
https://www.af-info.or.jp/questionnaire/result.html

 

●Facts about This Year's Questionnaire
Survey period: April to June 2025
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: approx. 42,000
Number of questionnaires returned: 1,751
Response rate: approx. 4.1%