For Immediate Release

September 4, 2024

The Asahi Glass Foundation Announces the Results of the 33rd Annual“Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”♦ The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock has gone back for four consecutive years since2021, striking 9:27 in 2024.
♦ Looking at the time on the Clock around the world, the time moved forward by 19 minutes inWestern Europe compared to last year, but it went back in all other regions.
♦ "Climate Change" has been the top environmental issue that the respondents worldwide have hadon their minds in determining the time on the Clock.
♦ 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.
♦ With the goal of total achievement of the 17 SDGs by 2030, the average perceived level globally of
all SDG achievement as of 2024 was 31%.
♦ In the respondents’ own country or region, many respondents selected “1. No Poverty,” “10. ReducedInequalities,” and “13. Climate Action” as the goals that will have the lowest level of realization in2030.
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 2,093 people in 128 countries. Below are the main points from this year’s questionnaire
results. Further details are available in the report of the “33rd Annual Questionnaire on Environmental Problems andthe Survival of Humankind,” or online at the Foundation’s web site, starting at 11 a.m. September 4, 2024.
I. Level of the Crisis Facing Human Survival - The Environmental Doomsday ClockI-1 The Time on the Environmental Doomsday ClockTime on the Clock

9:50
9:40

9:46

9:47

9:42
9:35

9:30

9:31
9:27

9:20
2019

2021

Year

2023

2025

Fig. 1 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock over Six Years■ represents regions where the time retreated further from midnight than last year
■ represents regions where the time became closer to midnight than last year

Fig. 2 Regional Times on the Environmental Doomsday Clock・Looking at the time on the Clock around the world, the time moved forward by 19 minutes in Western

Europe compared to last year, but it went back in all other regions. In particular, the Clock went backsignificantly in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (35 minutes); and in the Middle East (44minutes). (Fig. 1, 2)

Fig. 4 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock since 1992

・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. (Tab. 1, Fig. 4)
I-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 backward for respondents aged 20 to 50, while it moved forward for those
aged 60 and above. This highlights a growing divide in the perception of the current state of environmental issues
between younger and older generations. (Fig. 5-1)

Fig. 5-1 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation

Fig. 5-2 Change in the Time on the Environment Doomsday Clock Since 2015
・Over 80% of Chinese respondents, who are in their 20s and 30s, appear to appreciate the government's
environmental measures and believe that environmental issues in China are heading in a positive direction.
・Approximately 80% of Taiwanese respondents are in their 20s, 30s, or 40s, and they have consistently indicatedthe time on the Clock to be between 8 and 9 a.m. each year. (Fig. 5-2)

II. “Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account” in Determining the Time on the ClockIn 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
・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 littlefor over seven years. (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)” (9:59) and “Climate Change” (9:33) were all closer tomidnight than the world’s average time of 9:31.

Fig. 6 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 in
section III-1-2 of the Report.>

III. Awareness of the issues of Climate Change and Biodiversity LossAmong the various environmental issues, climate change and biodiversity loss are garnering significant attention. From thethree 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 andrestoration 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 'Definitelyimproved.
III-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.” (Fig. 7, based on Tab. 8 in Report)
Definitelyimproved

2.0

Public Awareness
Policies & Legal System

1.5
Somewhatimproved

Social Infrastructure
1.0
0.5

Cannot sayeither way

0.0202220232024

Year

Fig. 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 27 of the Report.>

III-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 isgenerally considered to be lagging behind the transition to a decarbonized society. (Table 2)
・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. (Table 2)
Table 2

Progress in the Conservation and Restoration of Wildlife Habitats: Organization, and Age Range
Public Awareness

Policies and Legal System

Social Infrastructure

2024

2024

2024

0.37

0.34

0.09

Asia

0.32

0.41

0.20

Oceania

0.19

-0.28

-0.75

NorthAmerica

0.47

0.30

0.05

0.15

-0.03

-0.24

0.36

0.13

-0.21

Progress in the Conservation and Restorationof wildlife habitats
World AverageRegion

Mexico, Central America,& the Caribbean
South America
Western Europe

0.53

0.04

-0.22

Africa

0.62

0.78

0.02

Middle East

0.72

0.45

0.38

0.62

0.12

-0.08

0.64

0.67

0.49

40s, 50s

0.24

0.19

-0.1260s and Over 60

0.18

0.10

-0.16

Eastern Europe & former
Soviet Unions
20s, 30s

Generation

Region ■: Max value of the year, ■: Min value of the year

< Progress in the Conservation and Restoration of Wildlife Habitats: The details are shown on pages 28-29 of theReport.>

IV 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 ofrealization in 2030 were analyzed (multiple-answer question), and the results are shown in Tables 9-1 and 9-2. Moredetailed data is available in the 2024 annual report of the survey.
Table 3-1 Three Goals (out of the 17 SDGs) That Will Have

Table 3-2 Three Goals (out of the 17 SDGs) That Will Havethe Highest Level of Realization in 2030

the Lowest Level of Realization in 2030

1st

9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

1st

1. No Poverty

2nd

4. Quality Education

2nd

10. Reduced Inequalities

3rd

13. Climate Action

3rd

13. Climate Action

・In many countries and regions, “9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure,” “4. Quality Education,” and “13.
Climate Action” were selected, on average, as goals that will have the highest level of realization in 2030. Though
on the downside, a notable number of respondents selected “18. There are no goals with any material level ofrealization in 2030” (23%).
・In the respondents’ own country or region, “1. No Poverty,” (36%) “10. Reduced Inequalities,” (27%) and “13.
Climate Action” (25%) were most commonly selected as goals that will have the lowest level of realization in2030.

Fig. 8 Distribution of the average perceived level of all SDGs achievement (%) as of 2024
We asked how much progress the respondents think has been made towards achieving the 17 SDGs overall as of2024, with 100% representing complete achievement of all goals. The numbers were provided from 1 to 100 inincrements of 5. Figure 8 shows the distribution of the average perceived level of all SDGs achievement (%) as of2024.
・Approximately 15% of respondents indicated a perceived level of all SDGs achievement of 0%, 9.5% responded
that "No particular progress has been made in achieving the goals," and the average was 31.0%.
・The 2024 Report (Fig. 18) reveals a significant difference in the perceived level of SDG achievement acrossgenerations. Respondents in their 20s and 30s perceive the level of SDG achievement in 2024 to be over 35%,
while those aged 50 and over perceive it to be less than 30%.

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. Within
the many responses we received from various countries, the respondents provided meaningful opinions andcomments. As in previous years, we will post a selection of opinions and comments on the Asahi Glass Foundation
website at 11a.m. on September 4, 2024. Please read through the candid opinions of environmental experts.
https://www. af-info.or.jp/questionnaire/result.html
For more information, please contact:
Toshihiro Tanuma, PhD, Director of Commendation Program for the 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 sixlanguages (English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Japanese) and is sent out in April every year, and returnedby June. After the responses are compiled and analyzed, the survey results are published in September. This year, we
received responses returned from 130 countries. The highest respondent percentage by organization in descendingorder is, universities and research institutions, corporations, NGOs/NPOs, central governments, local governments,and mass media. (Fig.8, Table 3)

Mass Media
2%Government
9%Others
12%

Corporation
25%

Table 3 Number of Countries Surveyed

Organization
not stated0%

Number ofRegion

University,Research Institute35%

NGO/NPO
17%

Fig. 9 Breakdown of Respondents by Organization

Countries

Africa

32

Asia

19

Mexico, Central America & the Ca

12

Eastern Europe & former Soviet U

15

Wester Europe

18

Middle East

12Horth America

2Oceania

6South America

12Total128● Facts about This Year’s Questionnaire
Survey period: April to June 2023
Respondents:
Environmental experts who work or who haveworked for national or local governments,NGOs, NPOs, universities, research institutions,corporations, and mass media, worldwide (listedon the Asahi Glass Foundation database).

Table 4 Number of Respondents Surveyed

Number of questionnaires mailed: approx. 39,000
Number of questionnaires returned: 2.093
Response rate: approx. 5.4%

RegionNumber ofRespondents%Africa

87

4.2

Asia

1388

66.3

Mexico, Central America & the Ca

62

3.0

Eastern Europe & former Soviet U

26

1.2

Wester Europe

206

9.8

Middle East29

1.4

Horth America

158

7.5

Oceania36

1.7South America

101

4.8

Total

2093

100.0