This report summarizes the results of the 2021 Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind, a survey conducted annually by the Asahi Glass Foundation since 1992. As in the previous years, the Asahi Glass Foundation wishes to continue communicating to as many people as possible the current thoughts and opinions of environmental experts around the world on the state of the global environment.
The environmental survey was conducted in April and May 2021, when the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections were continuing to spread worldwide. With the deterioration of postage services, many items we had posted were returned as “undeliverable”. In this situation, through academic websites and journals, we contacted people who might want to take part in our survey. We are grateful that we eventually received responses from 1,893 people, slightly over four percent increase from 2020 when we received responses from 1,813 people. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those who participated in the survey from around the world during this difficult time and we are very pleased to be able to provide this report on the environmental questionnaire results.
This year, the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock (the “time on the Clock”) has struck 9:42. It first went closest to midnight at 9:47 in 2018, it was 9:46 in 2019, and 9:47 again in 2020, demonstrating a strong awareness of crisis for three consecutive years. In 2021, however, the clock went back by five minutes; this is the first significant change in eight years.
On the questions about the signs of improvement, which were introduced in 2019, “Climate Change” was most frequently selected as the category where the respondents saw signs of improvement. The percentage of respondents who answered that the awareness of the general public had improved also rose for these two consecutive years, suggesting people are becoming more aware of climate change. This year, we also added questions about SDGs to study people’s awareness of common challenges facing humanity.
As in the previous years, we will post the comments we received on the Asahi Glass Foundation website:
“Search Free Comments.“ Please read through the candid opinions of environmental experts.
We sincerely hope that we can make a contribution to the resolution of the global environmental issues through this questionnaire by inspiring not only those who are involved in environmental issues but also as many people as possible from all walks of life to take an interest in environmental issues.
We once again extend our deepest gratitude to the respondents for taking time to share their valuable opinions and experiences through the survey. We would also appreciate valuable advice and guidance from the readers of this report.
The environmental survey was conducted in April and May 2021, when the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections were continuing to spread worldwide. With the deterioration of postage services, many items we had posted were returned as “undeliverable”. In this situation, through academic websites and journals, we contacted people who might want to take part in our survey. We are grateful that we eventually received responses from 1,893 people, slightly over four percent increase from 2020 when we received responses from 1,813 people. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those who participated in the survey from around the world during this difficult time and we are very pleased to be able to provide this report on the environmental questionnaire results.
This year, the time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock (the “time on the Clock”) has struck 9:42. It first went closest to midnight at 9:47 in 2018, it was 9:46 in 2019, and 9:47 again in 2020, demonstrating a strong awareness of crisis for three consecutive years. In 2021, however, the clock went back by five minutes; this is the first significant change in eight years.
On the questions about the signs of improvement, which were introduced in 2019, “Climate Change” was most frequently selected as the category where the respondents saw signs of improvement. The percentage of respondents who answered that the awareness of the general public had improved also rose for these two consecutive years, suggesting people are becoming more aware of climate change. This year, we also added questions about SDGs to study people’s awareness of common challenges facing humanity.
As in the previous years, we will post the comments we received on the Asahi Glass Foundation website:
“Search Free Comments.“ Please read through the candid opinions of environmental experts.
We sincerely hope that we can make a contribution to the resolution of the global environmental issues through this questionnaire by inspiring not only those who are involved in environmental issues but also as many people as possible from all walks of life to take an interest in environmental issues.
We once again extend our deepest gratitude to the respondents for taking time to share their valuable opinions and experiences through the survey. We would also appreciate valuable advice and guidance from the readers of this report.
September 2021
The Asahi Glass Foundation
The Asahi Glass Foundation