Environmental Doomsday Clock Shows 9:22; Reversed by 11 Minutes

Japan's Asahi Glass Foundation announced on September 9, 2009, the results of its 18th "Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind." The foundation has been supporting science and technology, and tackling global environmental issues. The annual survey started in 1992 and the results of the 18th survey suggest that the average time on the Environmental Doomsday Clock, representing the survey respondents' awareness of the crisis facing human survival, is 9:22. This is an 11-minute reversal from the previous year when the clock showed the greatest advancement ever. The awareness of crisis was the third highest to date, staying at the level of "extremely concerned."

For Japan, the hands of the clock were set to 9:08, showing a delay of 34 minutes from the previous year, the longest delay ever. For Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Republics, and Asia, however, the clock was advanced between 10 and 20 minutes. Among these, for Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics, the clock was set past 10:00 for the first time. In contrast, for other regions, the clock was set back more than 10 minutes. In particular, for Japan, Latin America and Oceania, the clock was set back by as much as 20 to 30 minutes.

With regard to the question of what global environmental problems came to mind when specifying the time on the Doomsday Clock, the most common answer given was "global warming," followed by "water shortages and food problems" and "deforestation/desertification/biodiversity loss."

Environmental Doomsday Clock Advanced: Asahi Glass Foundation Survey in 2008 (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028511.html
Asahi Glass Foundation official website
http://www.af-info.or.jp/en/
Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind
http://www.af-info.or.jp/en/questionnaire/doc/release2009.pdf

Posted: 2010/01/21 06:00:15 AM