For Immediate Release
September 5, 2013

The Asahi Glass Foundation Announces Results of the 22nd Annual“Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”•••••

The average time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock for all respondents was 9:19, indicating a similar levelof crisis as last year. Compared to last year, the needle advanced in the United States & Canada, Asia excluding
Japan, and Eastern Europe & the former Soviet Union, but in all other regions, the time retreated. Like inprevious years, all regions were in the “extremely concerned” quadrant.
Overall, “climate change” was most frequently selected as the top environmental condition of concern indetermining the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock. “Biodiversity” showed the most advanced time by
far among the environmental conditions selected by the respondents.
On strategies desired of government agencies to alleviate urban environmental problems, respondents mostfrequently selected regulatory and standards-based solutions, followed by infrastructure improvements.
Respondents overall most frequently indicated that the most important policy to achieve sustainable cities was“renewable energy technology.”
On the most important approach to urban environmental problems given the increase in the world’s urban
population, respondents overall most frequently selected “solutions to urban environmental problems that alignwith developing region realities,” while “active involvement of central government and the U.N. on urban
environmental problems” attracted the least support.
The Asahi Glass Foundation (Chairman: Tetsuji Tanaka) has conducted surveys with environmental experts
around the world each year since 1992. This year, the Foundation received 1,364 responses from 56 countries.
The following are the major findings of the survey.

1. Awareness of the Crisis Facing Human Survival - The Environmental Doomsday Clock・ The average global time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock was 9:19, a 4-minute reversal from last year,
and the same time as in 2010.

Change over the years in the Environmental Doomsday Clock

The trend in the Environmental Doomsday Clock (2009 – 2013)1

Regional Times
・The needle advanced from last year in three regions: 36 minutes in Eastern Europe & the former Soviet
Union (9:12 to 9:48), 22 minutes in the United States & Canada (9:54 to 10:16), 9 minutes in Asia
excluding Japan (9:03 to 9:12). Of the 9 regions in the survey, 6 saw a reversal in the time, indicatingimprovements. Yet, all regions were in the “extremely concerned” quadrant.

Environmental Conditions of Concern
・Regarding the environmental conditions of concern in determining the time on the Environmental Doomsday
Clock (ranked 1 – 3), “climate change” was most frequently selected at 20%, followed by“pollution/contamination” at 14%, “water resources” at 12%, and “population” at 9%.
・Of the environmental conditions of concern, “biodiversity” had by far the most advanced time on theDoomsday Clock, at 9:45, followed by “climate change” at 9:22 and “lifestyle” at 9:21. All 11 categories werein the “extremely concerned” quadrant, including the categories associated with the lowest sense of crisis,“environment and society,” and “food.”22. Cities and Environmental Problems
・Respondents selected at similar rates “the construction of urban infrastructure” (26%), followed by “the activeparticipation and cooperation of multiple stakeholders” (23%), and “education and sharing in the recognitionof problems” (20%).

3

1. Elements of Improving the Urban Environment
・By region, respondents in the Middle East, Oceania, Taiwan, United States & Canada, Western Europe, China,
and Japan ranked “the construction of urban infrastructure” as the most important element in improving theurban environment. On the other hand, the “active participation and cooperation of multiple stakeholders” wasmost frequently selected in Eastern Europe & the former Soviet Union, Africa, India, United States & Canada,
and the Asian Region, whereas respondents in South Korea most frequently selected “education and sharing in
the recognition of problems.”

4

2. Measures and Policies by Government Agencies to Lower Environmental Burdens
・Overall, respondents most frequently selected regulatory and standards-based solutions, at 36%, followed byInfrastructure (27%), the use of natural resources (19%), and other measures (14%).

5

3. Important Elements in Technologies, Products, and Systems to Achieve Sustainable Cities
・Classifying the responses into broad categories revealed that 45% of the respondents selected solutions related
to moving towards a recycling society, and Electricity and power generation (19%), as well as Transportation
Systems (19%).
・By individual category, respondents most frequently selected “Recyclable energy technology” (23%).

6

4. Important Urban Environmental Policies Given Rise in Global Urban Population
Overall, respondents most frequently selected “solutions to urban environmental problems that align with
developing region realities” at 25%, while on the other hand, “active involvement of central governments and theU.N. on urban environmental problems” ranked the lowest, at 6%.

The survey includes a Comments section in which respondents are invited to write about environmental
problems in their countries, their opinions, and solutions. This year, we surpassed what was a record year lastyear in the number of comments we received since the inception of the survey, totaling 280 respondents in 55
countries around the world as well as 296 respondents in Japan, for a total of 578. These comments are publishedwith the full report, “Results of the 22nd Annual Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival ofHumankind.”

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

7Appendi x• 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 academia and research institutions, nongovernmental organizations, corporations and mass media. Theseexperts are queried about various endeavors to counter environmental problems. (The survey is advised by Professor
Akio Morishima, Special Research Advisor of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and board member ofthe Foundation.) The questionnaires are sent out to approximately 9,000 respondents in April and collected by June.
After the responses are compiled, compared, and analyzed, the survey results are announced in September. The reportis available in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Spanish. The pie chart below shows the affiliation of the questionnaire
respondents in descending order. The questionnaire was sent to respondents in 171 countries including Japan, withresponses returning from 56countries.
Number of Countries Surveyed
Unknown
1%

Mass Media
4%

Regions
Government
16%

Other12%

Corporation
11%

Universityand ResearchInstitute41%

NPO/NGO
14%

Countries

U.S.A & Canada

2Latin America

29

Western Europe

21

Eastern Europe &former Soviet Union

26

Africa46

Middle East

15

Asia

22

Oceania

9Japan1Total171• Facts about This Year’s Questionnaire
Survey period: Questionnaires were sent out in April 2013 with a return deadline of June 2013
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: 9,027 (7,836 to 171 countries and 1,191 within Japan)
Questionnaires returned: 1,364
Response rate: 15.1%

8