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Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind

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.

September 2021
The Asahi Glass Foundation

Ⅰ. Survey Overview

Survey period：April to June 2021
Respondents： Environmental experts who work or who have worked for national or local governments, NGOs, NPOs, universities and research institutions, corporations, mass media, and so on, worldwide (based on the Asahi Glass Foundation database)
Number of questionnaires mailed：31,806 (30,241 to overseas respondents and 1,565 to respondents in Japan)
Number of questionnaires returned：1,893
Response rate：6.0%
Table 1 Breakdown of Respondents by Region and Organization

*1. Unless otherwise specifically explained, the questionnaire calculated the percentages for its analysis as follows:
 For questions where respondents were asked to choose one response: the denominator is the number of questionnaires returned. For questions where respondents were given options to provide multiple answers: the denominator is the total number of valid responses.

*2. Figures have been rounded to whole numbers or the first decimal place.

*3. On the total number of responses basis: The total number of responses given to a specific question is used as the base, not simply the number of questionnaires returned.

Ⅱ. Summary of Questionnaire Results

Ⅱ-1. Level of the Crisis for Human Survival—The Environmental Doomsday Clock

  • The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock (the “time on the Clock”) for the world had been 9:46~47 since 2018, showing the strongest sense of crisis for three straight years. This year, it is 9:42, five minutes earlier than last year, and back over four minutes from the preceding year; this is the first significant change in eight years.
  • Looking at the times on the Clock around the world, the Clock receded back 30 minutes in North America and the times are also earlier than last year in most regions. The US rejoining the Paris Agreement in January may have positively affected the times on the Clock around the world.
  • The three most often selected categories of the “environmental issues to be taken into account” were “Climate Change (31 %),” “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity) (14%),” and “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures (12%).”
  • When arranging the “environmental issues to be taken into account” for the entire world in order of descending time on the Clock, “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity) (9:54)” and “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination) (9:53)” had the time closer to midnight by over 10 minutes compared to the world average time (9:42).

Ⅱ-2. Signs of Improvement in the Approach to Environmental Issues: Comparison with the Situation before 2015 When the Paris Agreement and SDGs Were Adopted

Since 2019, we have asked questions about transition to a decarbonized society and environmental issues to be taken into account; this is to investigate if there are signs of improvement in the approach to environmental issues, from the three aspects, “Public Awareness,” “Policies and Legal System,” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities).”
  • With regard to the transition to a decarbonized society, some signs of improvement were noted, but the result shows that the advances made in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” were less pronounced than those for “Public Awareness.” Nonetheless, improvements have been made in all three areas for two years in a row since 2019.
  • The category most commonly identified as showing signs of improvement in approach was “Climate Change” at 28%, followed by “Society Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” (18%), and “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” (17%). Compared with the values in 2019, improvements have been observed in “Public Awareness” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities),” while awareness of signs of improvement became lower for “Policies and Legal System.” Fourteen percentage of the respondents selected the answer, “There is no sign of improvement at all.”

Ⅱ-3. Realization of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030

  • On the world average, in most countries, “9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure” and “13. Climate Action” were selected as the top two goals that will have the highest level of realization in 2030.
  • On the world average, “l. No Poverty” was the most selected as the goal that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030, followed by “2. Zero Hunger,” and “10. Reduced Inequalities.” Obviously, people around the world think that these are the most difficult goals to achieve.
  • In the respondents’ own country or region, “9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure,” “4. Quality Education,” and “6. Clean Water and Sanitation” were the most commonly selected goals that will have the highest level of realization in 2030.
  • In the respondents’ own country or region, many people selected “1. No Poverty,” and “10. Reduced Inequalities” as the goals that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. On the world average, these were also selected as the goals that will have the lowest level of realization, indicating that these are common major challenges worldwide.

Ⅲ. Questionnaire Results

Ⅲ-1. Level of the Crisis Facing Human Survival – The Environmental Doomsday Clock

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In Table 5 on page 8, “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
(footnote) Since the inception of the survey, represents the lowest sense of crisis, while represents the highest.

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 in 2021, it is 9:42, over four minutes earlier than the previous year, which is the first significant change in eight years.

Fig.3 Regional Times on the Environmental Doomsday Clock

Table 3 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock over Time
  • The time on the Clock for the world is 9:42, which is five minute earlier than last year.
  • Looking at the times on the Clock around the world, it is 30 minutes earlier in North America and the times are earlier than last year in most regions. The fact that the US rejoined the Paris Agreement in January may have positively affected the times on the Clock around the world.
  • The time on the Clock in North America is 10:03, 30 minutes earlier compared to last year. North America has still the third strongest sense of crisis in the world after Oceania and Western Europe.

Ⅲ-1-1-2. Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation Over the Last 10 Years (2012 – 2021)

Table 4 Change in the Time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock by Generation
  • The survey respondents aged 60 and over tended to report more advanced times on the Clock than other age groups.
  • Ten years ago, people in their 20s and 30s had an apparently lower awareness level about the environment than those of higher generations. Recently, however, the difference in the awareness level of crisis among generations tends to become smaller.
  • While all age groups had been developing a stronger sense of crisis each year, the Clock was set back in all age groups this year, for the first time in the last eight years.
  • The times reported by respondents in their 40s, 50s, 60s and over had advanced from 2016 until 2019, but were set back consecutively in 2020 and 2021.
  • Since 2013, when the Clock was 9:01, the times reported by respondents in their 20s and 30s had kept moving forward, but in 2018, the time on the Clock hit 10:00 for these age groups due to the impact of the growing sense of crisis among the Chinese respondents in their 20s and 30s. It then returned to the 9:40 range from 2019 onward.

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 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
  • As in the last year, “Climate Change” (31%) 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)” (14%), “Society, Economy, and Environment, Policies, Measures” (12%), “Water Resources” (9%), “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” (9%), “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” (7%), “Land-System Change (Land Use)” (7%), “Population” (7%), and “Food” (4%). 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 on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” was at 9:54, “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” 9:53, “Population” 9:45, “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” 9:44, and “Land-System Change (Land Use)” 9:43 were closer to midnight than the world’s average time of 9:42, followed by “Climate Change” 9:41, “Water Resources” 9:38, “Society, Economy, and Environment, Policies, Measures” 9:34, and “Food” 9:30.
  • “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” has shown the closest time to midnight recently, and the time for “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” has been getting consistently closer to midnight, compared to other environmental issues.
Fig. 6-2 2020 Distribution of the Environmental Issues,
Showing Selection Percentage Of Respondent’s 3 Most Pressing Issues and the Time on the Clock

Fig. 6-3 2019 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 Time on the Clock and Selection Percentage (FY2012-2021)
  • For the last decade, the selection percentage of “Climate Change” shows an increasing trend and the time on the Clock trends closer to midnight. 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”(31%) 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)” (14%). This trend can be seen in many geographical regions.
  • Within Asia, however, differences emerged in the second most selected category, being “Population” in India, “Water Resources” in China, “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” in Taiwan, “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” in Korea, and “Society, Economy, and Environment, Policies, Measures” in Japan.
  • While “Climate Change” has the highest selection percentage in most regions of the world, the respondents in South America most often selected “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)”. This was also the case for the region in 2020 when “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” and “Land-System Change (Land Use)” were the most and second-most selected issues, respectively, ahead of “Climate Change.”

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 9:42. Only two issues, namely “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” (9:54) and “Biochemical Flows (Pollution/Contamination)” (9:53) are ahead of the average time by more than 10 minutes. The time on the Clock for “Climate Change” was 9:52 last year; but this year, the Clock went back by 11 minutes to 9:41.
  • By region, a heightened sense of crisis is shown for “Climate Change” in Oceania (10:49), “Population” in North America (10:41), and “Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity)” in Western Europe (10:35).

Ⅲ-2. Singns of Improvement in the Approach to Environmental Issues

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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.

Signs of improvement were investigated from the three perspectives, “Public Awareness,” “Policies and Legal System,” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities). We asked the respondent’s opinion on whether there have been signs of improvement in the approach to global environmental issues with respect to a transition to a decarbonized society and where they saw signs of improvement from a list of “Environmental Issues to be Taken into Account.”

We calculated the average score by quantifying the answers and giving a score of “-2” for the answer “Not improved at all,” “-1” for the answer “Somewhat not improved,” “0” for the answer “Neither improved or not improved,” “+1” for the answer “Somewhat improved,” and “+2” for the answer “Definitely improved.” We used 30 or more responses to calculate the average score for each region or country.

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

The average score for the entire world and the average score for each region and country are shown in Table 8.

The world’s average scores are as follows:
  • Public Awareness:+0.75
  • Policies and Legal System:+0.49
  • Social Infrastructure
    (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities):+0.45

  • Overall, with regard to transitioning to a decarbonized society, the results showed an equal lack of progress in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” compared with “Public Awareness.” Nonetheless, Table 8 indicates that the respondents think that more progress has been made in the three perspectives since 2019 with respect to a decarbonized society.
  • There were regional differences in the respondents’ perception on how much progress had been made in “Public Awareness” and “Policies and Legal System.” In India, China, and Taiwan, there was little difference between the two, and results showed that “Policies and Legal System” had made slightly more progress than “Public Awareness”. In comparison, there was a big difference between the two viewpoints in Australia, North America, and Western Europe. The results showed that progress in “Polices and Legal System” was significantly behind “Public Awareness.” This trend has not changed since 2019.
  • In Japan, Canada, and the United States, compared to 2020, in 2021 respondents have become more confident that progress had been made in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” with respect to a decarbonized society.
  • For three consecutive years, respondents in China think that more progress has been made in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” with respect to a decarbonized society.
  • For three consecutive years, results from Korea showed that no progress had been made in any aspects.
  • In Africa and East Europe & former Soviet Unions, the average score for “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” decreased significantly between 2020 and 2021.
  • By organization, respondents working for corporations considered that more progress had been made in “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” with respect to a decarbonized society.
  • By generation, the younger generation in their 20s and 30s considered more progress had been made in “Policies and Legal System” than in “Public Awareness.” On the other hand, respondents in their 40s and above tended to consider government policies to be lagging behind.
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 Table 5, 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 2021, the category most frequently selected for showing signs of improvement was “Climate Change” at 27.7%, followed by “Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures” at 18.0%, and “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” at 16.5%; the trend has not changed since 2019. About 14 percent of the respondents selected the answer, “There are no improvementsat at all.” The results (shown in Table 9) were quantified in the same manner as in Q2-1.
  • “Climate Change” was the most selected category in Q1 as an important environmental issue to take 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 Q1 and whose time on the Clock is the closest to midnight of all the categories, it is fourth in terms of signs of improvement. Although the scores for signs of improvement are not so high, the changes in the score for “Public Awareness” indicate that people have become more strongly aware of the improvement in the situation since 2019.
Regarding the category Climate Change, which was most frequently selected as a crucial environmental issue, the average scores were calculated and shown in Table 10 where possible with 15 or more responses from each reagion, organization, or generation.

Table 10 Signs of Improvement: Change in World Average and Average Scores by Region, Organization, and Generation
  • The world’s average score for “Public Awareness” in 2021 is +1.33 and the score has increased two years in a row. In 2021, Oceania, North America, and Western Europe show very high score of over +1.5 for “Public Awareness.”
  • The world’s average score for “Policies and Legal System” is +0.81 in 2021, but China’s score of +1.38 far outweighs the score of others.
  • The world’s average score for “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” is +0.72 in 2021. Scores for China and Western Europe are higher than the average while scores for India, Oceania, South America, and Africa tended to be lower.
  • From 2020 to 2021, Japan and North America has shown major signs of improvement in “Policies and Legal System.”

* No analysis was made for categories except Climate Change due to the small number of samples viewed in each country/region.

Ⅲ-3. Realization of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030

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Regarding realization of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2030, we asked the respondents to choose and rank three goals (out of 17 SDGs) that will have the highest/lowest level of realization in 2030, in terms of the realization level on the world average and in the respondents’ own country/region. Responses were analyzed by the 1st-3rd summation method, and the results are shown in Tables 11-14. More detailed data is available in the 2021 annual report of the survey.

Table 11 (World Average) Three Goals (out of 17 SDGs) That Will Have the Highest Level of Realization in 2030 (1st-3rd summation method, multiple answers)
  • On the world average, “9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure” and “13. Climate Action” were selected as the top two goals that will have the highest level of realization in 2030, followed by “7. Affordable and Clean Energy”.
    The top two goals were selected by respondents in many countries.
  • In Asian countries, “17. Partnerships for the Goals” was rarely selected, in contrast, this was a popular choice among in other regions.
  • In India, Taiwan, and Korea “3. Good Health and Well-being” was commonly selected.

Table 12 (World Average) Three Goals (out of 17 SDGs) that Will Have the Lowest Level of Realization in 2030 (1st-3rd summation method, multiple answers)

  • “1. No Poverty” was selected as a goal that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030, followed by “2. Zero Hunger,” and “10. Reduced Inequalities.” This is an indication that many people around the world believe these goals are difficult to achieve.
  • Many respondents in Japan, Korea, Western Europe, and the Middle East selected “16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions;” they think these goals are difficult to achieve.
  • Compared to the goals selected as ones that will have the highest level of realization in 2030, there were few regional differences in goals selected as ones that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030, indicating that challenges facing humanity are condensed in these goals.
Table 13 (Respondents’ Own Country/Region) Three Goals (out of 17 SDGs) That Will Have the Highest Level of Realization in 2030 (1st-3rd summation method, multiple answers)
  • In many countries and regions, “9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure,” “4. Quality Education,” and “6. Clean Water and Sanitation” were selected as goals that will have the highest level of realization in 2030.
  • It is intriguing to note that “9. Industry, Innovation an Infrastructure” was selected in all Asian countries surveyed as the goal that will have the highest level of realization in 2030.
  • “13. Climate Action” was selected in most countries as a goal that will have the highest level of realization, but very limited number of people think this goal will have the highest level of realization in their own country.
  • On the world average, “4. Quality Education” was not selected as top three highest level of realization in 2030, but in the respondents’ own country or region, many people think this goal will have the highest level of realization in 2030.
  • In most regions except Asia, “17. Partnerships for the Goals” was selected as a goal that will have the highest level of realization in 2030, but in the respondents’ own country or region, people in most countries did not think that this goal will have the highest level of realization in 2030.

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” and “10. Reduced Inequalities” were most commonly selected as goals that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. These goals were also most commonly considered to have the lowest level of realization on the world average, indicating that these are common major challenges worldwide.
  • Regarding world average, respondents in most countries selected “2. Zero Hunger” as the goal that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030 but did not choose the same goal with regard to their own country.
  • Only in Japan, India, and Korea, a large number of respondents selected “5. Gender Equality” as a goal difficult to achieve.
  • In the respondents’ own country or region, “12. Responsible Consumption and Production,” “14. Life below Water,” and “15. Life on Land” were selected by a number of countries as goals that will have the lowest level of realization in 2030. On the world average, however, more people think that “1. No Poverty,” “2. Zero Hunger,” and “10. Reduced Inequalities” are the goals that will have the lower level of realization in 2030.

Ⅳ. Closing Comment

The time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock for the world had been 9:46~47 since 2018, showing a strong sense of crisis for three straight years, but this year it is 9:42, five minutes earlier than last year. Let’s hope this is the first step toward achieving the target of the Paris Agreement.

As in the previous year, the survey asked the respondents if they saw any signs of improvement in comparison with the situations before 2015 when the Paris Agreement and SDGs were adopted. Given that the respondents’ answer to this question in terms of “Policies and Legal System” and “Social Infrastructure (Funds, Human Resources, Technologies, and Facilities)” varied from one region or country to another, we calculated the average scores for the entire world and for each region/country and compiled them into a table to show the changes in the scores since 2019.

With regard to a transition to a decarbonized society in Question 2-1, although there were regional differences in the respondents’ perception of improvements made in “Public Awareness” and “Policies and Legal System,” the results suggest that people have become more strongly aware that progress has been made in a transition to a decarbonized society since 2019.

In Question 2-2, the top categories showing signs of improvement in the approach to environmental issues were as follows in order of descending selection percentage: “Climate Change” at 27.7%, “Society, Economy, and Environment, Policies, Measures” at 18.0%, and “Lifestyle (Consumption Habits)” at 16.5%. “Climate Change” was also selected most frequently as a category that was important in considering environmental issues. This shows the strong worldwide attention to the “Climate Change” issue and the efforts to improve it.

This year, we added questions on the level of realization of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that the world is pushing to achieve by 2030. Although there were some regional differences regarding goals that will have the highest level of realization, most countries selected both “1. No Poverty” and “10. Reduced Inequalities” as goals that will have the lowest level of realization, a clear indication that these are the crucial issues facing humanity.

Starting this year, we have created, as reference material, a table of significant environmental events that occurred around the world in the year immediately preceding the response period of this survey. You can refer to this information when analyzing the results in this report.

We will continue using the above questions for a while and continue conducting this survey, paying attention to the average scores for the entire world and variations among regions and countries. We do hope that we can count on your support again next year.
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No Category Examples of Observable Changes in the Country or the Region in which You Reside Planetary Boundaries (PB) Category by SDGs # (Sustainable Development Goals: SDGs)
1 Climate Change Global warming; CO2%, ocean acidification; climatic aberrations (droughts, torrential rains and flooding, severe storms, heavy snow, abnormal temperatures, desertification, etc.) Climate Change, Ocean Acidification, Atmospheric aerosol loading, Stratospheric ozone depletion
2 Biosphere Integrity (Biodiversity) Acceleration of species extinction rate; effects of contamination, climate change, land use Genetic diversity,
Functional diversity
3 Land-System Change (Land Use) Change in the amount of forest cover remaining at the tropical, temperate and boreal biomes.
Change in the amount of cropland
 Land-system change
4 Biochemical flows (Pollution/Contamination) Increase in river, ocean and soil pollution: eutrophication caused by excessive nitrogen and phosphorus and contamination by microplastics and chemical substances; atmospheric pollution: particulates suspended in the atmosphere, soot and chemical substances Chemical Polution,
Nitrogen & Phosphorous Cycles
5 Water Resources Diminution of usable fresh water resources (depletion, contamination)
Control and degeneration of Green water quality (water contained in soil and used by plants)		 Freshwater Use
6 Population Population growth beyond what the Earth can support; aging of the population Related with almost all the PB
7 Food Diminution of food supply from land and oceans Related with almost all the PB
8 Lifestyles (Consumption Habits) Transformation of lifestyles away from excessive consumption of resources like energy Related with almost all the PB
9 Society, Economy and Environment, Policies, Measures Establishing a Green Economy with environmental economics and accounting Environmental awareness at the individual and societal levels, progress of environmental education, Legal system, social foundation; poverty, governance; the status of women Related with almost all the PB
Planetary boundaries: Will Steffen, Katherine Richardson, Johan Rockstrom et.al. Science 13 Feb 2015 vol. 347, issue 6223

2021 Search Free Comments

Note) The written statements of the answers posted below are opinions of the individual respondents; and they don’t necessary represent the views of our Foundation.
We have included the name, country, and our identification number along with the comments, unless the respondent requested anonymity.
Some of the comments on the list are excerpts from the original.

2021 Opinions on SDGs

Note) The written statements of the answers posted below are opinions of the individual respondents; and they don’t necessary represent the views of our Foundation.
We have included the name, country, and our identification number along with the comments, unless the respondent requested anonymity.
Some of the comments on the list are excerpts from the original.

2021 Overall Analysis of the “Environmental issues to be taken into account”

2021 Awareness of Sign of Improvements in the Approach to Environmental Issues