For Immediate Release
September 8, 2016

The Asahi Glass Foundation Announces Results of the 25th Annual“Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”
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Overall, the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock was 9:31, the same level as 2007 and marking thesecond most advanced time since the inception of the survey.
The highest sense of crisis was in the Middle East, with a time of 10:06. In contrast, the lowest was Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union, with 8:51.
As the age of the respondents rose, the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock also tended to be moreadvanced.
Respondents who selected “Extremely Concerned” have increased gradually from 48% in 1997 to 70% thisyear.
Overall, respondents most frequently selected “climate change” as the environmental conditions of concern indetermining the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock. This has been consistent since 2011.
By category, respondents assigned the most advanced Environmental Doomsday Clock times to“biodiversity” and “pollution/contamination,” surpassing “climate change.”

The Asahi Glass Foundation (Chairman: Kazuhiko Ishimura) has conducted surveys with environmental experts aroundthe world each year since 1992. This year, the Foundation received 1,882 responses from 143 countries. The following
are the major findings of the survey. (*This press release and survey report may also be viewed on our web site atwww.af-info.or.jp. from 11:00, September 8, 2016)
1. Awareness of the Crisis Facing Human Survival - The Environmental Doomsday Clock
1-1 The Environmental Doomsday Clock

The average time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock for all respondents advanced 4 minutes to 9:31, thesame time as 2007. This marks the second most advanced time since the inception of the survey in 1992,
following the highest, of 9:33 in 2008. This is the third time that the clock has advanced to past 9:30 in the 25years of the survey.

Change over the years in the Environmental Doomsday Clock

The trend in the Environmental Doomsday Clock (2012 – 2016)1

・Of the 10 regions surveyed, the time advanced in four regions (the Middle East, Western Europe, Asia, Africa), while it
retreated in five regions (Oceania, United States & Canada, South America, Central America, Caribbean countries).
・Among the four regions where the time advanced, respondents in the Middle East had the highest sense of crisis at 10:06, withan advancement of nearly an hour since last year (9:10 to 10:06). On the other hand, the change in time has been under 10
minutes in the three other regions where the time advanced and also the five regions where it retreated (See Report page 4).
・Similar to last year, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union was the only region of the 10 surveyed with a time on
the Environmental Doomsday Clock in the “fairly concerned” quadrant. All other regions were in the “extremelyconcerned” quadrant.
Regional Times・In analyzing the changes in the Environmental Doomsday clock since the inception of the survey, overall, respondents
have consistently indicated times in the “extremely concerned” quadrant of the 9:00 o’clock hour since 1996, with theexception of 2000.
・The clock retreated noticeably in 2011.
・Viewed in total, the needle has advanced approximately an hour and a half since the inception of the survey, with ahigher sense of crisis.
Changes in the Environmental Doomsday Clock2

1-2. Shifts in the Environmental Doomsday Clock Based on Respondent Age (2011 – 2016)

As with last year, shifts in the time by respondent age were analyzed this year, examining the six years from 2011to 2016.
・In all years, respondents over the age of 60 reported a more advanced time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock thanrespondents under the age of 60.
・The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock selected by respondents over the age of 60 has remained fairly stablefrom 2011 till this year ranging from 9:28 to 9:36. On the other hand, respondents in their 20s and 30s, as well as thosein their 40s and 50s had indicated times in the 8:00 o’clock hour in 2011, but have since chosen more advanced times.
This year, all age groups chose times around 9:30.
Shifts in the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation

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1-3

Changes in Selection Rates of the Four Quadrants (1997 – 2016)

For the first time this year, we analyzed the selection rates of the four quadrants (“barely concerned,” “slightly concerned,”“fairly concerned,” “extremely concerned”) and changes in the average Environmental Doomsday clock time within eachquadrant.
・Respondents who selected “extremely concerned” have grown gradually from 48% in 1997, reaching 70% this year.
・Since 2012, the combined selection rate for “extremely concerned” and “fairly concerned” has surpassed 95%, revealingthat a majority of respondents are feeling a sense of crisis.

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2. Environmental Conditions of Concern in Determining the Time on the Environmental Doomsday ClockIn determining the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, the questionnaire asked respondents to select fromthe following 11 categories of environmental problems the most pressing issues in the country or region where they
lived, ranking the problems from 1 to 3. (See Questionnaire Report for further details.)
Environmental Conditions of Concern:
1. Climate Change; 2. Biodiversity; 3. Land Use; 4. Pollution/Contamination;
5. Water Resources; 6. Population; 7. Food; 8. Lifestyles; 9. Global Warming Measures;
10. Environment and Economy; 11. Environment and Society
2-1. Selection Rates for Environmental Conditions of Concern

・Similar to last year, respondents overall most frequently selected “climate change” as the environmental condition they weremost concerned about in selecting a time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, at 27%. This was followed by “biodiversity”
at 12%, and “pollution/contamination” at 11%.
2-2. Ranking of Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock for Environmental Conditions of Concern

・When ranking the Environmental Doomsday Clock time for the Environmental Conditions of Concern in descending order,“biodiversity” and “pollution/contamination” had the most advanced time at 9:37. “Population” trailed slightly behind at
9:36.

・While seven categories, including “climate change,” “land use,” “environment and society,” “environment and economy,”“water resources,” “global warming,” and “lifestyle” all had times after 9:17, “food” remained in the 8 o’clock hour,indicating the lowest sense of crisis for this issue among respondents.

52-3. Regional Trends in the Selection of Environmental Conditions of Concern

・ Overall, “climate change” was the most frequently selected category in most regions, at 27%. This was followed by“biodiversity” (12%) and “pollution/contamination” (11%).

・ In contrast, similar to last year, respondents in China most frequently selected “pollution/contamination.” “Land use” wasthe highest choice in South America, whereas “water resources” was most frequently selected in the Middle East.

・ Last year, respondents in India most frequently selected “water resources” while those in Oceania except Australia chose“biodiversity.” This year, both regions most frequently selected “climate change,” indicating a shift in awareness.

Selection Patterns for Environmental Conditions of Concern By Region

This survey includes a section where respondents are invited to provide their opinions and write about theenvironmental realities they face in their region of the world, as well as offer suggestions for improvement. Thisyear, we received a total of 1,166 comments, including 931 from 118 countries abroad and 235 comments fromJapan. These comments, along with comments on Question 2 will be published on the Asahi Glass Foundation
website on September 8th at 11 a.m.
For more information, please contact:
Tetsuro Yasuda, Secretary General
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: http://www.af-info.or.jp

6Appendix• About the “Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”
Since 1992, the Asahi Glass Foundation has conducted a survey each year with experts around the world who areknowledgeable and are involved in environmental issues. The respondent pool includes government officials andmembers of universities and research institutions, nongovernmental organizations, corporations and mass media.
These experts are queried about various endeavors to counter environmental problems. The questionnaires areproduced in six languages (English, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish) and are sent out around April
each year, and collected by June. After the responses are compiled, compared, and analyzed, the survey results areannounced in September. The report is available in five languages. The pie chart below shows the affiliation of thequestionnaire respondents in descending order. The questionnaire was sent to respondents in 212 countries including
Japan, with responses returning from 143 countries.
Number of Countries Surveyed
Regions

Countries

U.S.A & Canada

2

Central America,
Caribbean countries

29

South America

12

Western Europe

27

Eastern Europe &former Soviet Union

28

Africa56

Middle East16Asia

24Oceania

17Japan

1Total212• Facts about This Year’s Questionnaire
Survey period: Questionnaires were sent out in April 2016 with a return deadline of June 2016
Questionnaire respondent pool: Environmental experts selected from members of government organizations,academic and research institutions, NGOs, corporations, and mass media. (based on the Asahi Glass Foundationdatabase)
Questionnaires mailed: 26.690 (25,457 to 212 countries and 1,233 within Japan)
Questionnaires returned: 1,882
Response rate: 7.1%

7The Environmental Doomsday Clock"Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind"

Each year the Foundation conducts a survey of the sense of crisis felt by respondents about the continuance of the human race as the global environment continues to deteriorate, gauging the responses withthe time expressed on the hands of the Environmental Doomsday Clock created by the Foundation.

Time Changes in the Environmental Doomsday Clock over the Years

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安rnce(N= 663)(N= 643)

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1992

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Regional Times
E. Europe & former
Soviet Union

8:51(±0))

W. Europe

9:47(+5)

U.S.A. & Canada

9:58(-3)

Asia

9:18(+3)

Central America,
Caribbiean countries

M. East9:38(-9)

10:06(+56)
Africa9:09(+9)

Oceania

10:01(-5)

South America

9:48(-6)■ represents regions/countries where the time advanced from last year, ■ represents regions/countries where the time retreated from last year, represents regions/countries where the time remained the same