For Immediate Release

September 8, 2021

The Asahi Glass Foundation Announces the Results of the 30th Annual“Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”● The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock is 9:42, five minutes earlier than last year, back over five minutes

from the preceding year. This is the first significant decrease of time in eight years.

● The time on the Clock has receded back by 30 min in North America and the times are earlier than last year in

most regions. The US rejoining the Paris Agreement might have positively affected the time on the Clock.

● "Climate Change" has been the top environmental issue since 2011 that the respondents worldwide have had ontheir minds.

● Regarding the transition to a decarbonized society, improvements have been observed every year in all theperspectives, "Public Awareness," "Policies and Legal System," and “Social Infrastructure.”● For “Climate Change”, improvements have been noted in "Public Awareness" and "Policies and Legal System"

every year since 2019.

● The category most commonly identified as showing signs of improvement in approach was “Climate Change.”● On the world average, in most regions, out of 17 SDGs, "No Poverty" and "Reduced Inequality" are considered

to have the lowest level of realization in 2030.

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 210 countries around the world,and received responses from 1,893 people in over 134 countries. Below are the main points from this year’squestionnaire results. Further details are available in the report of the “30th Annual Questionnaire on Environmental
Problems and the Survival of Humankind,” or online at the Foundation’s web site, starting at 11 a.m. September 8.
I. Level of the Crisis Facing Human Survival - The Environmental Doomsday ClockI-1 The Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock

Fig. 1 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock Since 1992

Time on the Clock

9:50
9:47

9:40
9:31
9:30
9:20
2016

9:46

9:47

9:42

9:33

2018

2020

2022

Year

Fig. 2 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock over Six Years

・The Clock receded back 30 minutes in North America and the times are also earlier than last year in most regions.
The US rejoining the Paris Agreement in January may have positively affected the times on the Clock around theworld. Although the time on the Clock in North America is 10:03, 30 minutes earlier compared to last year, North
America has still the third strongest sense of crisis in the world after Oceania and Western Europe. (Fig. 3)■ represents regions where the time retreated further from midnight than last year
■ represents regions where the time became closer to midnight than last year
□ represents regions where the time remained the sameFig. 3 Regional Times on the Environmental Doomsday Clock

・The "time on the Clock" for the world had been 9:46~47 since 2018, showing the strongest sense of crisis for threestraight years. This year, it is 9:42, five minutes earlier than last year, and back over four minutes from thepreceding year; this is the first significant decrease of time in eight years. (Table. 1)

Table 1. Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock (World)
Year

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

Time-

7:49

8:19

8:47

8:49

9:13

9:04

9:05

9:08

8:56

Year

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

20082009

2010

Time

9:08

9:05

9:15

9:08

9:05

9:17

9:31

9:33

9:22

9:19

Year

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Time

9:01

9:23

9:19

9:23

9:27

9:31

9:33

9:47

9:46

9:47

Year2021

Time

9:42

Since the inception of the survey, ■ represents the lowest sense of crisis, while ■ represents the highest.

Time on the Clock (World)

10:00
9:30

ExtremelyConcerned

9:00

FairlyConcerned

8:30
8:00
7:30
7:00
1990

2000

2010

2020

YearFig. 4 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock since 1992
・The time on the Clock had had a tendency to get closer to midnight since 2011, but in 2021, it is 9:42, over four
minutes earlier than the previous year, which is for the first time in eight years. (Fig. 4)

I-2 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation (2011 - 2021)
・Ten years ago, people in their 20s and 30s had an apparently lower awareness level about the environment thanthose of older generations. Recently, however, the difference in the awareness level of crisis among generations
tends to become smaller. (Fig. 5)・While all age groups had been developing a stronger sense of crisis each year, the Clock was set back in all age
groups this year, for the first time in the last eight years. (Fig. 5)・The times reported by respondents in their 40s and 50s, 60s and over had advanced from 2016 until 2019, but wereset back consecutively in 2020 and 2021. (Fig. 5)
10:30

Time on the Clock

10:00
9:30
9:00
60s and Over

8:30

40s & 50s
20s & 30s

8:00
7:30
2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

Year

Fig. 5 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation

II. “Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account” in Determining the Time on the Clock (World)
In determining the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, the questionnaire asked respondents to select, fromthe 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
・The top two issues that the respondents selected in determining the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clockhave remained unchanged for four years in a row: “Climate Change” ranked first (31%), followed by “Biosphere
Integrity (Biodiversity)” at 14%. (Fig. 6)
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 descendingtime on the Clock, "Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity) (9:54)" and "Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)(9:53)" had the time closer to midnight by over 10 minutes compared to the world average time (9:42). (Fig. 6)
・“Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” has shown the closest time to midnight recently, and the time for “BiochemicalFlows (Pollution/Contamination)” has been getting consistently closer to midnight, compared to otherenvironmental issues.

Fig. 6 2021 Distribution of the Environmental Issues,
Showing Selection Percentage of Respondent's 3 Most Pressing Issues and the Time on the Clock<The details regarding regional distribution of “Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account” are described insection III-1-2-5 of the Report.>

III. Signs of Improvement in the Approach to Environmental Issues: Comparison with the Situation Prior to2015, When the Paris Agreement and SDGs Were Adopted
Signs of improvement were investigated from the three perspectives, (1) Public Awareness, (2) Policies and LegalSystem, and (3) Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities). We asked, from a listof “Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account,” the respondent’s opinion on whether there have been signs ofimprovement in the approach to global environmental issues with respect to a decarbonized society and where theysaw signs of improvement.
We calculated the average score by quantifying the answers on whether there had been any improvements and givinga score of “-2” for the answer “Definitely not,” “-1” for the answer “Not really,” “0” for the answer “Cannot sayeither way,” “+1” for the answer “Somewhat,” and “+2” for the answer “Definitely.”
III-1 Progress in a Transition to a Decarbonized Society・With regard to the transition to a decarbonized society, some signs of improvement were noted, but the result showsthat the advances made in "Policies and Legal System" and "Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources,Technologies, and Facilities)" were less pronounced than those for "Public Awareness."
Nonetheless, many respondents think that improvements have been made in all three perspectives for two years ina row since 2019.” (Fig. 7, based on Tab. 8 in Report)

Definitely

2.0

Public Awareness
Policies & Legal System
Social Infrastructure

1.5Somewhat

1.00.5

Cannot sayeither way

0.0

20192020

2021

YearFig. 7 Progress in a Transition to a Decarbonized Society: Change in Average Scores from 3 Perspectives<Progress in a Transition to a Decarbonized Society: The details are shown on page 26 of the Report.>

III-2 Categories Showing Signs of Improvement
・The category most frequently selected for showing signs of improvement was “Climate Change” at 27.7%, followed
by “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” at 18.0%, and “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” at
16.5%. (Table 2, Fig. 8)・Concerning efforts against “Climate Change,” the respondents see more improvements in “Public Awareness (1.33)”
than in “Policies and Legal System (0.81)” and “Social Infrastructure (0.72).” (Table 2)
Table 2. Signs of Improvement: Selection Percentage and Average Score in Signs of Improvement (2021)
Signs of Improvement
Selected Category

Selection
Percentage (%)

PublicAwareness

Policies andLegal System

Social Infrastructure

27.7

1.33

0.81

0.72

18.0

1.03

1.00

0.75

Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)

16.5

1.130.580.64

Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)

7.0

1.10

1.01

0.77

Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)

6.9

1.12

0.68

0.53

Water Resources

2.9

1.00

1.15

0.95

Population
Land-System (Land Use)

2.8

0.66

0.40

0.43

2.2

0.98

0.52

0.29

1.8

1.23

0.71

0.80

14.1

---

Climate Change
Society, Economy and Environment,
Policies, Measures

Food
No Sign of Improvement<Signs of improvement in the approach to environmental issues: The details are shown on pages 25-28 of the Report.>
There areImprovemnets

2.0

Public Awareness
Policies & Legal SystemSocial Infrastructure

1.5

Perhaps someimprovements

1.00.5

Cannot sayeither way0.0

2019

2020

2021

Year
Fig. 8 Signs of Improvement (Climate Change): Change in Average Scores from 3 Perspectives<Signs of Improvement (Climate Change): The details are shown on page 28 of the Report.>

IV Realization of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2030
Regarding realization of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2030, we asked the respondents to choose andrank three goals (out of 17 SDGs) that will have the highest/lowest level of realization in 2030, in terms of therealization level on the world average and in the respondents’ own country/region. Responses were analyzed by the1st-3rd summation method, and the results are shown in Fig.9. More detailed data is available in the 2021 annual
report of the survey.
(World) Highest Level of Realization(Respondents' Own Country) Highest Level of Realization(World) Lowest Level of Realization(Respondents' Own Country) Lowest Level of Realization

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quaity Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quaity Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
0246
Number of Regions

8100246
Number of Regions

810Fig. 9 SDGs That Will Have the Highest/Lowest Level of Realization in 2030

・On the world average, "13. Climate Action" was the most selected as the goal that will have the highest level ofrealization in 2030, followed by "9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure" and “17. Partnership for the Goals.”
・On the world average, "l. No Poverty," "2. Zero Hunger," and "10. Reduced Inequalities" were the three mostselected goals that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. Obviously, people around the world think thatthese are the most difficult goals to achieve.
・ In the respondents’ own country or region, "6. Clean Water and Sanitation," "9. Industry, Innovation, andInfrastructure," and "13. Climate Action" were the three most commonly selected goals that will have the highest
level of realization in 2030.
・In the respondents’ own country or region, many people selected "1. No Poverty," and "10. Reduced Inequalities"
as the goals that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. On the world average, these were also selected
as the goals that will have the lowest level of realization, indicating that these are common major challenges
worldwide.
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. This year,
we received a total of over 700 comments from over 130 countries abroad. These comments will be published on theAsahi Glass Foundation website at 11a.m. on September 8.
For more information, please 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

Appendix● Regarding the “Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”
Since 1992, the Asahi Glass Foundation has conducted a survey every year with experts around the world who areknowledgeable and are involved in environmental issues. The respondents are environmental experts who work or
who have worked for governments, universities, research institutions, NGOs, corporations, and mass media. Theseexperts are queried about various endeavors to counter environmental problems. The questionnaire is produced in six
languages (English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Japanese) and is sent out in April every year, and returned
by June. After the responses are compiled and analyzed, the survey results are published in September. This year, thequestionnaire was sent to respondents in 210 countries including Japan, with responses returned from over 134
countries. The highest respondent percentage by organization in descending order is, universities and research
institutions, corporations, NGOs/NPOs, central governments, local governments, and mass media. (Fig.8, Table 3)

Mass Media
2%
Government
11%
Others11%

Organization
not stated0%

University,
ResarchInstitute38%

Corporation
18%
NGO/NPO
20%

Table 3. Number of Countries Surveyed
RegionNumber of Countries

Africa29Asia20

Mexico, Central America, The Caribbean

14Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union20

Western Europe

17Middle East

15North America

2Oceania

6South America

11Total134

Fig. 8 Breakdown of Respondents by Organization● Facts about This Year’s Questionnaire
Survey period: April to June 2021
Respondents:
Environmental experts who work or who haveworked 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:31,806 (30,241 to overseas respondents and 1,565
to respondents in Japan)
Number of questionnaires returned: 1,893
Response rate: 6.0%

Table 4. Number of Respondents Surveyed
RegionNumber of Respondents

Japan

472%

Overseas

1421

75.1

World Total

1893

100.0

24.9

Africa

81

4.3

Asia

1145

60.5

Mexico, Central America, The Caribbean

61

3.2

Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union

39

2.1

Western Europe

193

10.2

Middle East

34

1.8

North America

179

9.5

Oceania45

2.4South America

116

6.1

Total

1893

100.0