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

For Immediate Release
September 9, 2009
thThe Asahi Glass Foundation Announces Results of the 18 Annual“Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind”●The average time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock retreated by 11 minutes from last year to 9:22 p.m., still
showing a high sense of crisis being the third most advanced time recorded.
●Compared to last year, the needle retreated 34 minutes in Japan, the largest reversal of the clock since the survey
started in 1992.
●Respondents most often cited global warming as the main environmental concern in considering their response on theEnvironmental Doomsday Clock.
●Responses on the breadth of emissions reduction by developed countries concentrated around a “20% reduction” and“30% reduction.”●Approximately 70% of Japanese respondents were aware of the Sectoral Approach against global warming as
proposed by Japan, but awareness was less than 20% overseas.
●The majority of respondents from all regions stated that U.S. participation in the post-2012 framework will“encourage the participation of developing countries to reduce CO2 emissions.”●More than 90% of respondents stated their daily actions reflect either “consistently” or “to some degree” awarenesstowards global warming prevention.
The Asahi Glass Foundation (Chairman: Hiromichi Seya) has conducted surveys with environmental experts aroundthe world each year since 1992. This year, the Foundation received 757 responses from 93 countries. The following are
the major findings of the survey. (Please refer to the attached appendix for details on the survey and this year’s results.)

1. Awareness of the Crisis Facing Human Survival – The Environmental Doomsday Clock• The average time for all respondents was 9:22. This represents an 11-minute reversal from last year, when the needle
had shown the greatest advancement.
• While the needle advanced 6 minutes from last year among overseas respondents, it retreated by 34 minutes in Japan to9:08.
Movements in the Environmental Doomsday Clock (1992 – 2009, Overall)Movements in the Environmental Doomsday Clock (2005 – 2009, Japan)1• By region, the needle advanced 10 – 20 minutes from last year in Western Europe, Eastern Europe &former Soviet Union, and Asia. In particular, the needle advanced past 10 o’clock for the first time inEastern Europe & former Soviet Union.
• In contrast, the needle retreated by more than 10 minutes in the remaining regions. In particular,respondents in Japan, Latin America, and Oceania reported significant reversals ranging between 20 and 30
minutes.

●Environmental Conditions of Concern• “Global warming” was most frequently cited as the main environmental concern in determining the timeon the Environmental Doomsday Clock, followed by “water shortage, food problems” and “deforestation,(Points)

desertification, loss of biodiversity” at similar levels.
Global warning

Water shortage, food problems
Water shortage, food problems
Air pollution, water contamination,
River/ocean pollution

Population, poverty, status of women
General environmental problems
People’s lifestyles, waster-related problems

Environmental problems and economics/
Trade-related activities
OthersUnknown(See pages 6 – 8 of the report for further details on the Environmental Doomsday Clock)22. COP15 and the Post-2012 Framework• The Outlook for COP15• The majority of respondents overall stated “progress towards a substantial reduction cannot be expected,
but there will be an agreement among developed countries,” at more than twice the number of those whostated “it will be difficult for developed countries to come to an agreement.”●The Breadth of Emissions Reduction by Developed Countries in 2020
• The responses to the breadth of emissions reduction showed a broad distribution curve. Nonetheless, theytended to cluster around “20%” and “30%” reductions, which comprised the majority of responses in allregions.

3●The Response of Developing Countries• In all regions, the most frequent response was “differentiate the obligations between high emitting major
developing countries and all other developing countries. Major developing countries should bear theresponsibility of maintaining emissions at current levels, whereas all other developing countries voluntarily
establish their own goals.”●Sectoral Approach against Global Warming• While 70% of Japanese respondents were aware of the Sectoral Approach against global warming as
proposed by Japan, awareness was less than 20% overseas.
• Only 6% of respondents from Japan selected “I have not heard of the approach,” while 46% fromoverseas made this selection, showing a striking contrast.

●Among those who selected “I am aware of this approach and understand its contents,”• The majority of respondents, from both Japan and overseas, stated the sectoral approach was “worthconsidering.”• Both respondents from Japan and overseas tended to select “it is an effective approach and it should beapplied” at similar rates, at 28% and 25% respectively.

4

●Expectations for the New U.S. Administration,• Respondents indicated high expectations for the new U.S. administration, with 52% overall selecting “theUnited States will participate in the post-2012 framework to some degree,” followed by 25% who stated it“will aggressively participate in the post-2012 framework and assume a leadership position.”• In contrast, only 4% of respondents overall selected “there will be no changes from the past.”• Respondents indicated their expectation for U.S. participation in the post-2012 framework to encourage
the participation of developing countries in CO2 emissions reduction. Those who selected “there will be asignificant effect on the participation of major developing countries like China and India” and “it will lay
the ground for developing countries to accept some level of reduction obligation” reached a combined totalof more than 70%.

(See pages 12 – 18 of the report for further details on COP15 and the post-2012 framework)53. Strategies to Suppress CO2 Emissions• Respondents in Oceania, Rest of Asia, Latin America, Japan, and Africa selected “shifting the energy
supply to renewable sources, such as wind energy, solar power, geothermal energy, and bio energy” as themost effective strategy, while those in the Middle East, Asian Four, United States & Canada, WesternEurope, and Eastern Europe & Soviet Union selected “improving energy efficiency and thus suppressing
energy demand.”(See page 19 of the report for further details on CO2 emissions strategies)

4. Awareness and Actions Concerning the Prevention of Global Warming• Overall, more than 90% of respondents stated that their daily actions were “consistently based onawareness” or “some degree of awareness of global warming prevention.”6• The endeavor most frequently cited as having been implemented was “reduced the usage of cars and takepublic transportation” and “switched incandescent lights to fluorescent lights in the home.” Meanwhile,“installed solar panels at the house or other equipment to utilize solar power” and “shifted to fuel efficient
vehicle(s)” lagged at approximately 10%.

(See pages 20-24 of the report for further details on awareness and actions
concerning the prevention of global warming)

The survey also requested respondents to write comments on any topic related to environmental problems.
This year we received 145 comments from 54 countries and 134 domestically from Japan, totaling 279.
From among them, 47 comments from 27 countries and 34 from Japan are listed in the report.

* Please refer to the report for the full results and details of the survey.
* The results are also available at the Foundations website, at www.af-info.or.jp starting September 10th.

For more information, please contact: Tetsuro Yasuda
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.jp7

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 are knowledgeable and are involved in environmental issues. The respondent pool includes
government officials and those in universities and research institutions, nongovernmental organizations,and within industries, and is queried about various endeavors to counter environmental problems. (Thesurvey is supervised by Professor Akio Morishima, Special Research Advisor of the Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies and board member of the Foundation.) The questionnaires are sent out toapproximately 4,000 respondents every April and collected by June. After the responses are compiled,compared, and analyzed, the survey results are announced in September. The questionnaires were sent inJapanese, English, Chinese, Korean and Spanish. The pie chart below shows the affiliation of thequestionnaire respondents in descending order. The questionnaire has been sent to respondents in 199
countries (including Japan) since its inception in 1992, with responses returning from 156 countries.

Unknown
2%
Others13%
Media2%Industry
17%

Number of Number ofcountries countries
surveyed responded
Asia
AfricaOceania
Western Europe
Eastern Europe &former Soviet Union
Middle East
USA & Canada
Latin America
Total

Government
20%

University % ResearchInstitute20%
NPO/NGO
26%

2553
15242716236
198

2343
91920
11228155• Topics Covered in This Year’s Questionnaire
Repeat topics: “Awareness of the Crisis Facing Human Survival – The Environmental Doomsday Clock,”
Progress Toward “Agenda 21”
Main focus of this year’s questionnaire: “COP15 and the Outlook for the Post-2012 Framework,”“Strategies to Suppress CO2 Emissions,” “Awareness and Actions Concerning the Prevention of GlobalWarming”• Facts about This Year’s Questionnaire

Survey period: Questionnaires were sent out in April 2009 with a return deadline of June
2009.
Questionnaire respondent pool: Environmental experts selected from members of governmentorganizations, academic and research institutions, NGOs, and corporations (based on theAsahi Glass Foundation database).
Questionnaires mailed: 4,255
Questionnaires returned: 757
Response rate: 17.8%
Breakdown of respondents by region, gender, and occupational affiliation:Region
Number of responsesJapan324
United States & Canada
42
Western Europe
60
Asian Four70
Developed Regions (Including Asian Four) 496
Rest of Asia (Excluding Japan, Asian Four) 122
Latin America
46
Africa28
Developing Regions
196
Oceania23
Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union
35
Middle East
7
Others65
Overseas Total
433

Percent of total
42.8
5.5
7.9
9.2
65.5
16.1
6.1
3.7
25.9
3.0
4.6
0.9
8.6
57.2

Total

100.0

7578