Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind

In Table 5 on page 9, “Environmental issues to be taken into account” are shown. Keeping in mind the problems that the environment faces at a global level, please select the three most pressing issues for the country or the region where you reside. Then, please rank them in order of importance. Lastly, for each item, select a time using hours and minutes between 0:10 to 12:00, to indicate the level of crisis for that issue. For the purpose of calculating results, please select your times in units no smaller than 10 minutes.

Regarding the calculation of the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock
The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock will be determined by taking the weighted average of the data. The issue ranked in first place will be weighted at 50%, second place at 30%, and third place at 20%.
If a respondent selected only two issues, the first-ranked issue is weighted at 62.5% and second place at 37.5%. If the respondent selected only one issue, the selected issue is weighted at 100%.

Fig. 1 The Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock

Ⅲ-1-1. The Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock

Table 2 Change in Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock (World) since 1992

Fig.2 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock (World) since 1992

• The time on the Clock had had a tendency to get closer to midnight since 2011, but this year the Clock has once again gone back for the third consecutive year.

Fig.3-1 Regional Times on the Environmental Doomsday Clock

Table 3 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock Since 2014

• The average time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock (the “time on the Clock”) for the world is 9:31, which is four minutes earlier than last year.

Regions with significant changes in the time on the Clock compared to last year

• The time on the Clock in South America is 9:22, which is 21 minutes earlier than last year.
• The time on the Clock in Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union is 10:01, which is 24 minutes later than last year.
• The time on the Clock in Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean is 9:58, which is 26 minutes later than last year.

Fig. 3-2 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock Since 2014

Figure 3-2 shows the change in the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock over the past ten years from the regions and counties with the highest number of respondents selected from among those shown in Table 3-1.

• As shown in Table 3 and Fig. 3-2, the time on the Clock of the world went back by 4 minutes from last year. When looking at the changes in the time on the clock by region, China showed a 9-minute improvement, while South America and Western Europe had significant improvements of 21 minutes and 13 minutes, respectively. In China, this could be attributed to a larger number of respondents in their 20s and 30s who evaluate the government’s environmental measures positively and believe that environmental issues are moving in a positive direction. In Brazil, there was the election of a left-leaning president in October 2022, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who appointed Ms. Marina Silva known for her commitment to environmental protection as the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. This may have influenced a change for the better. It is also believed that the earlier time on the Clock in Western Europe reflects the ambitious environmental policies introduced one after another by the European Union (EU), such as decarbonization measures.
• Looking at the times on the Clock around the world, compared to last year, the time moved far forward 24 minutes in Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union and 26 minutes in Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean. Parts of the latter region is facing a growing problem of refugees and asylum seekers, due to domestic instability and natural disasters such as hurricanes. In Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still ongoing. These situations may be affecting the time on the Clock.

Ⅲ-1-1-2. Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation Over the Last 10 Years (2014 – 2023)

Table 4 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation

Table 4 and Fig. 4 show change in the time on the Clock by generation.

• The survey respondents aged 60 and over tended to report more advanced times on the Clock than other age groups.
• This year, the time reported by respondents in their 40s and 50s moved forward by five minutes. As a result, the difference in the time between those in their 20s and 30s, and the older age groups (40s and above) has become pronounced.
• Looking back over the past decade, the times reported by respondents in their 20s and 30s had a general trend to move forward until 2018, but since then, there has been a tendency for the time to go back.

Fig.4 Change in the Time on the Clock by Generation

Ⅲ-1-2. Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account

Table 5 Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account

Fig. 5 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Ⅲ-1-2-1. Distribution of the Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account,
Showing Selection Percentage of Respondent’s 3 Most Pressing Issues and the Time on the Clock

Fig. 6-1 2023 Distribution of the Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account, Showing Selection Percentage of Respondent’s 3 Most Pressing Issues and the Time on the Clock

• 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%), “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” (12%), “Water Resources” (9%), “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” (8%), “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” (7%), “Population” (7%), “Land-System Change (Land Use)” (6%). The percentage of each issue has changed little from last year.
• When arranging the “environmental issues to be taken into account” for the entire world in descending order of the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” (9:59) and “Climate Change” (9:33) were all closer to midnight than the world’s average time of 9:31. Below the average time were “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” (9:30), “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” (9:27), “Land-System Change (Land Use)” (9:27), “Population” (9:25), “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” (9:22), “Water Resources” (9:06), and “Food” (8:59).
• In 2022, the time for “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” was exceptionally close to midnight, but in most years, including this year, the time for “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” shows the highest sense of crisis.

Fig. 6-2 2022 Distribution of the Environmental Issues, Showing Selection Percentage Of Respondent’s 3 Most Pressing Issues and the Time on the Clock

Fig. 6-3 2021 Distribution of the Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account, Showing Selection Percentage Of Respondent’s 3 Most Pressing Issues and the Time on the Clock

Ⅲ-1-2-2. Annual Change in the Time on the Clock and Selection Percentage of Environmental Issues

Fig. 7 Annual Change in the Distribution of the Times on the Clock and Selection Percentage (FY2014-2023)

• Over the past 10 years, the selection percentage of “Climate Change” had been increasing, but in recent years, it has remained at around 30%, and its time on the Clock has moved backward. For other environmental issues, the change in selection percentage is not large, but fluctuates between nine and ten o’clock.

Ⅲ-1-2-3. Selection Percentage for “Environmental Issues” by Region

Table 6 Selection Percentage for “Environmental Issues” by Region

• As with last year, “Climate Change” (30%) was the issue that the respondents worldwide most often selected as the most pressing environmental issue to be taken into account, followed by “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” (13%). This trend can be seen in many geographical regions.
• Looking at Asia, the second most selected category after “Climate Change” was “Water Resources” in China, “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” in Taiwan, “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” in India and Korea, and “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” in Japan. This shows that there are differences in the environmental concerns of people in Asia, even though they are in the same region.
• In most parts of the world, “Climate Change” was the most selected category, but in the Middle East, “Water Resources” was most selected, and in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” was most frequently selected. This reflects the geopolitical circumstances of each region.

Ⅲ-1-2-4. Times on the Clock for Environmental Issues by Region

Table 7 Times on the Clock for Environmental Issues by Region

• The world’s average time on the Clock is 9:31. As for the environmental issues, the time on the Clock for “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” (9:59) is far ahead of that for “Climate Change” (9:33). The time for “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” was 9:49 last year; but this year, the Clock went back by 19 minutes to 9:30.
• By region, a relatively heightened sense of crisis is shown for “Climate Change” in Oceania (10:41), as was North America for “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)”(11:09) and “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” (10:56).
• By region, the sense of crisis is relatively low for “Water Resources”(8:54) and “Food”(8:56) in Asia, “Water Resources”(8:24) in South America, “Population”(8:37) in Western Europe, and “Climate Change”(8:24) and “Water Resources”(8:32) in Africa.

Question 2: Do you see any signs of improvement in the approach to global environmental issues? Please answer these questions from the following three viewpoints in comparison with the situation before 2015 when the Paris Agreement and SDGs were adopted.

Question 2-1 Do you think any progress has been made in a transition to a decarbonized society?

Table 8 Progress in a Transition to a Decarbonized Society: World Average and Average Scores by Region, Organization, and Age Range

Question 2-2 Where do you see signs of improvement? Please choose one category from Table5, which shows a list of “Environmental issues to be taken into account.”

Table 9 Change in Selection Percentage and Average Score in Signs of Improvement (Category)

• In 2023, the category most frequently selected for showing signs of improvement was “Climate Change” at 27.0%. This is followed by “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” at 16.3%, and “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” at 12.7%; all these have remained the same ranking since 2019. Of the respondents, 16.6 % selected the answer, “There are no improvements at all.” Table 9 Shows the results analyzed for Question 2-2 from three perspectives, “Public Awareness,” “Policies and Lagel System,” and “Social Infrastructure,” in the same manner as in Question 2-1.
• When deciding the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, “Climate Change” was the most selected category in Question 1 as an important environmental issue to be taken into account, demonstrating the world’s heightened interest in “Climate Change” and efforts to tackle the issue.
• As for “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity),” which was the second most selected category in Question 1 and whose time on the Clock is the closest to midnight of all the categories, is the fifth most selected in terms of signs of improvement. The scores for “Biodiversity” has decreased in all three aspects of “Public Awareness”, “Policy” and “Social Infrastructure” from the previous year. In particular, the score for “Social Infrastructure” decreased significantly in 2023.

Table 10 Signs of Improvement in the category “Climate Change”: Change in World Average and Average Scores by Region, Organization, and Generation

• The world’s average score for “Public Awareness” in 2023 is +1.28, the same level as in 2022. In 2023, as in the last year, Oceania, North America, and Western Europe show very high scores of over +1.4 for “Public Awareness.”
• The world’s average score for “Policies and Legal System” is +0.82 in 2023, but China’s score of +1.40 far exceeds the scores of others. On the other hand, South America shows the lowest score of +0.40.
• The world’s average score for “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” in 2023 is +0.66. Scores for Asia, Oceania, North America, and Western Europe are higher than the average, while those for South America and Africa are very low, below 0.40.
• Oceania showed signs of improvement in “Policies and Legal System” in 2023, and signs of significant improvement in “Social Infrastructure” for two consecutive years from 2021 to 2023.
• By organization, central government officials showed the highest score of all respondents in the sector, of 1.50 for “Public Awareness” in 2023.
• By generation, young people in their 20s and 30s historically gave higher scores for signs of improvement in terms of “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure” than other generations. The result was influenced by the fact that young people made up a large proportion of Chinese respondents.

Question 3-1. In your daily life, please select the three goals (out of the 17 SDGs) that you are most interested in, and then, rank them, from most interested (1st) to least interested (3rd), and write in the SDG numbers.

Table 11 Three Goals (out of the 17 SDGs) in Which Respondents Are Most Interested, in Their Daily Life (1st-3rd summation method, multiple answers)

• “13. Climate Action,” “3. Good Health and Well-being,” “7. Affordable and Clean Energy,” and “15 Life on Land” were selected in many countries as the goals in which they are most interested, in their daily lives. The choices for goals 3 and 7 may reflect the feelings of respondents who wish for daily health after going through the COVID-19 pandemic and are frustrated by the recent rise in electricity and gas prices.
• “3. Good Health and Well-being” was particularly popular in Asia and Oceania.
• “7. Affordable and Clean Energy” was frequently selected in Asia and Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union.
• “15 Life on Land” was frequently selected in North America, Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean, South America, Western Europe, and Africa.
• “16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” was the most popular goal in Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union.

Question 3-2. When thinking about the world’s problems, please select the three goals (out of the 17 SDGs) that you are most concerned about; and then, rank them, from most concerned (1st) to least concerned (3rd), and write in the SDG numbers.

Table 12 Three Goals (out of the 17 SDGs) That Respondents Are Most Concerned About, Regarding the World’s Problems (1st-3rd summation method, multiple answers)

• In most countries and regions, “13. Climate Action” was most frequently selected as the world problem that respondents are most concerned about, followed by “1. No Poverty,” and “16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.” Many people around the world are concerned about the realization of these goals.
• People are interested in “13. Climate Action”, “3. Good Health and Well-being”, and “7. Affordable and Clean Energy” in their daily lives as well as being concerned about “13. Climate Action”, and therefore climate change, as a global problem.
• Combining Tables 11 and 12, it is clear that many people around the world are concerned about climate change as the world problem and have it at the forefront of their minds in their daily lives.

Question 4-1. In your country or region, in your view, please select the three goals (out of the 17 SDGs) that will have the highest level of realization in 2030, and then, rank them, from highest (1st) to lowest (3rd) level of realization, and write in the Goal numbers.

Table 13 (Respondents’ Own Country/Region) Three Goals (out of the 17 SDGs) That Will Have the Highest Level of Realization in 2030 (1st-3rd summation method, multiple answers)

• In many countries and regions, “6. Clean Water and Sanitation,” “4. Quality Education,” and “2. Zero Hunger” were selected, on average, as goals that will have the highest level of realization in 2030. These are the same results as last year.
• “4. Quality Education” was selected in many countries and regions as a goal that will have the highest level of realization in 2030. However, in Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean; and South America, fewer people selected this goal.
• In India, Australia, and the Middle East, people frequently selected “13. Climate Action” as a goal that will have the highest level of realization in 2030.
• In Asia, fewer people selected “7. Affordable and Clean Energy” as a goal that will have the highest level of realization in 2030, compared to other regions.
• “13. Climate Action” is a global problem that many people are concerned about, but there are only a few countries and regions that believe they will achieve a high level of realization in their territories in 2030.
• “5. Gender Equality” is not expected to be achieved at a high level in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union by 2030, but it is expected to be achieved at a high level in Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean, South America, and Western Europe.

Question 4-2. In your country or region, in your view, please select the three goals (out of the 17 SDGs) that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030, and then, rank them, from lowest (1st) to highest (3rd) level of realization, and write in the Goal numbers.

Table 14 (Respondents’ Own Country/Region) Three Goals (out of 17 SDGs) That Will Have the Lowest Level of Realization in 2030 (1st-3rd summation method, multiple answers)

• In the respondents’ own country or region, “1. No Poverty,” “13. Climate Action” and “10. Reduced Inequalities” were most commonly selected as goals that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. These are common major challenges worldwide.
• In many countries and regions, most respondents selected “1. No Poverty” as the goal that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. In addition, “2. Zero Hunger” was considered to be among the three goals with a low level of realization in South America, Africa, and the Middle East.
• The number of respondents who think it is difficult to achieve “5. Gender Equality” in their own countries by 2030 is particularly high in Japan, China, and Korea.
• The number of respondents who think that “12. Responsible Consumption and Production” will be difficult to achieve in their own countries by 2030 is high in Oceania, North America, and Western Europe.
• Respondents in the countries and regions such as Taiwan, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe & former Soviet Union, which are involved in territorial disputes, conflicts, or wars, believe that “16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” is less achievable than those in other regions.

Ⅳ. Closing Comment