A Better Future for the Planet Earth

Preface & Background

The Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 to raise awareness about the global environment and move toward sustainability to ensure that all living things could exist in harmony.

In the same year, Asahi Glass Foundation founded the Blue Planet Prize; and the first laureates were announced at the Earth Summit.

Since then, the Asahi Glass Foundation has awarded Blue Planet Prizes for the past 25 years to individuals, groups, and organizations who have worked toward solving global environmental issues. We have continued this activity in the hope of raising public awareness about global environmental issues by making the achievements of the Blue Planet laureates known to the world.

In 2017, 25 years after the Earth Summit, the Blue Planet Prize also celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Looking back over the past quarter of a century, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air has exceeded 400 ppm, flood and drought have become more frequent, typhoons have become stronger, and coastal areas and islands have become submerged due to the rises in the sea level. These global environmental issues that were at one time simply research themes have changed into actual issues that have a direct impact on our lives.

Against this backdrop, COP21, which took place in Paris in December 2015, adopted agreements on two matters: (1) Keeping the increase in average global temperature this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and exerting effort to limit temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius; and (2) Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to zero between 2050 and 2100.

Two years have passed since COP21, and some countries have withdrawn from the agreement; however, it was also clarified that public awareness of global environmental issues is higher than ever around the world.

Better Future for the Planet Earth Vol. V is a collection of the lectures given by Blue Planet Prize laureates from 2012 to 2017 (the 21st – 25th Blue Planet Prize winners). We publish this book in the hope that their messages will prompt renewed commitment to solving global environmental issues.

I always try to keep in mind that we are not landlords but residents on the Earth. As past generations have preserved the Earth for us, we have the obligation to keep it safe and beautiful for the next generation.

It is a great joy for us to know that the Blue Planet Prize contributes to goal of ensuring that the next generation has a healthy planet.

December 2017
Kazuhiko Ishimura, President, Asahi Glass Foundation

The Earth is a a precious ecosystem, sustaining, every living thing.

At the Asahi Glass Foundation, we hope that people
around the world will work toward protecting our planet from destruction,
ensuring our treasured
inheritance continues to exist for future generations.

The Blue Planet Prize Trophy and Certificate

The Blue Planet Prize symbol, top left, represents our responsibility toward our fragile home. It is a symbol of hope for our children, of coexistence with and intimate connection to our environment. This design depicts the delicate balance and dynamic interrelationship of our world: the pristine blue sky and sea, people, nature and the universe.

Inaugural Blue Planet Prize Winners Announced at UNCED (1922)

Announcement of Winners

The winners of the inaugural Blue Planet Prize were announced during UNCED, which took place in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. On June 4, the Foundation held a media reception at the Meridien Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. On June 8, the winners were announced in the Briefing Room of the Rio Centro Convention Center, the same room in which the United Nations held its UNCED press conference. The Foundation also sponsored a display booth spotlighting its activities at Global Forum '92, an event organized by a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and held during UNCED in Rio's Flamengo Park.

*UNCED = United Nations Conference on Environment and Development All personal titles refer to positions held at the time.

Blue Planet Prize Laureates since 1992

Some Background on the Blue Planet Prize

Humankind has only one home, the Earth, and we all bear responsibility to leave it in a habitable condition for future generations. In recognition of those whose efforts help provide solutions for global environmental problems, the Foundation established the Blue Planet Prize, an annual international award presented to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward that aim. The year the prize was first awarded, 1992, was the year that the world turned its attention to environmental issues at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. In keeping with the spirit of that conference, the Foundation hopes to help raise awareness of and interest in environmental issues throughout the world while expressing its appreciation for the achievements of the winners.

Each year, the Foundation chooses two individuals or organizations whose pioneering achievements represent major contributions to sustainable development and to solving such environmental problems as climate change, global warming, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, ecosystem destruction in tropical rainforests, species extinction and desertification. The Foundation is also keen to recognize work in areas related to energy, food, population, waste treatment, recycling, as well as environmental management, ethics, philosophy and education. The work of the award winners must in some way contribute to the harmonious coexistence of people, society and the environment.

They should contribute to humankind's pool of scientific knowledge as well as to the realization of a global community that uses science and technology for the good of all. Candidate nominations are received from more than 120 countries worldwide. Living citizens of all nations, irrespective of gender, race or religion, are eligible. A short list of nominees is compiled by the Selection Committee. Final decisions are made by the Presentation Committee and nominees are approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors and Councilors.

The winners are presented with a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy and a supplementary prize of 50 million yen at an awards ceremony. The ceremony takes place in Tokyo and is attended each year by members of the Japanese royal family, government officials, foreign diplomats, academics and researchers, as well as representatives from many fields of endeavor. On the day following the awards ceremony, the laureates present lectures on their work to an audience at the United Nations University in Tokyo. This lecture event is well attended by the general public, journalists, environmental specialists and academics from related fields.

The Blue Planet Prize was so named in the hope that our blue planet will be a shared possession capable of sustaining all life time far into the future. The Earth is a precious ecosystem, home to every living thing. At the Asahi Glass Foundation, we sincerely hope that people around the globe will work toward protecting our planet from environmental deterioration, ensuring that the natural environment continues to exist for future generations. We believe wholeheartedly that through the ingenuity and earnest efforts of humanity the serious environmental problems we now face will someday be solved.

Information on the laureates and their achievements is also available online on the Foundation's web site: http:///www.af-info.or.jp.

Blue Planet Prize Selection Process

Anniversary Events

25th Anniversary Events of the Blue Planet Prize

+25 years Commemorative Conference of the Establishment of the Blue Planet Prize (September 8, 2017)

"From isolation to connection" - What we can do for a sustainable future (November 16, 2017)

20th Anniversary Events of the Blue Planet Prize

+25 years Commemorative Conference of the Establishment of the Blue Planet Prize

The Earth's Environment is at a Crossroads: The Time for Action is Now and Solutions Exist

The Asahi Glass Foundation hopes the commemorative event to contribute following accounts: Raise awareness of the society including young generations for pressing environmental issues, reviewing the past 25 years of the Prize history and considering the coming 25 years regarding global environmental issues.

Date: September 8, 2017
Venue: Ito International Research Center, The University of Tokyo
Organizer: The Asahi Glass Foundation
Supervisor: Dr. Hiroyuki Yoshikawa
(Special Counselor to the President, Japan Science and Technology Agency;
Former President, The University of Tokyo)

Joint Press Conference (September 7, 2017)

Announcing the Press Statement "The Earth's Environment is at a Crossroads. Solutions Exist. The Time for Action is Now."

Press Statement

Press Conference

Program

Part I：Round-table Conference Participated by the Laureates and Young Folks

Conversation with students

Part II：Commemorative Lecture Session

Commemorative Lecture

Visual materials of the lecture

Dr. Robert Watson

Dr. Jane Lubchenco

Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy

Panel Discussion

Exhibition

Messages from Blue Planet Prize Laureates

<Moderator>

Mr. Tetsuji Ida: (Senior Staff Writer & Editorial Writer Environment, Energy and Development Kyodo News, Science News Desk))

<Lecturers>

Dr. Robert Watson: (2010 (19th) Blue Planet Prize Laureate, Chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC))

Dr. Jane Lubchenco: (2011 (20th) Blue Planet Prize Laureate, Professor of Oregon State University, Former Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA))

Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy : (2012 (21st) Blue Planet Prize Laureate, Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University)

<Panelists>

Mr. Hiroshi Ono: (Deputy Director General, Global Environment Affairs, Ministry of the Environment)

Ms. Junko Edahiro: (Professor, Tokyo City University, President of Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy, and Society)

Mr. Shigeki Kobayashi: (Senior Researcher, Chubu Transportation Research Institute）

Mr. Takejiro Sueyoshi: (Special Advisor to The UNEP Finance Initiative)

Mr. Yasushi Hibi: (Representative Director of Conservation International Japan）

"From isolation to connection"
- What we can do for a sustainable future

Hardly a day goes by without us getting exposed to negative news about nature worlds such as extreme weather events, extinction of various species, water pollution, and air pollution.

While at the same time, not a few people find it very difficult to connect their daily lives with environmental problems.

However, it is imperative for us to have a shared perception that each one of us living on the earth is responsible for these problems.

We say so because a human is necessarily a creature who cannot live alone, and the natural world has provided everything that humans need to survive and thrive.
Also, we have never been aware of or appreciated for nature's gifts because we take it for granted that nature is always there to support us.

We held this symposium to understand human connections to the natural environment as well as to environmental problems, which could give us a clue on how we can contribute to the improvement of the problems.

Date: November 16, 2017
Venue: Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall 5F at the United Nations University
Organizer: The Asahi Glass Foundation、Conservation International Japan

Program

Lectures

Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy: Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University

[Genuine biodiversity designates that all the lifeforms can connect and support each other]

Mr. Pavan Sukhdev: UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, Founding Trustee of Green Indian States Trust (GIST)

[Planetary Connectedness and Systems Thinking for an Economy of Permanence]

Ms. Jennifer Morris: President Conservation International

[The relation between biodiversity and economy: connectivity with the Japanese society]

Panel Discussion

Ms. Junko Edahiro (Facilitator): Professor of the Faculty of Environmental Studies Tokyo City University, the representative of Japan for Sustainability

D.M. Michiko Imai: Climber and Doctor, Visiting Professor Tokyo University of Agriculture

Ms. Atsuko Suzuki: The Representative director, Environmental Business Agency

Ms. Akane Takada: Aleph Inc. Eco team

Ms. Misako Nakajima: Student from International Christian University

20th Anniversary Events of the Blue Planet Prize

20th Anniversary Events of the Blue Planet Prize

Videos

London conference at IIED (The creation of the UNEP paper)

London conference Day1 (2012/Feb/8)

London conference Day2 (2012/Feb/9)

London conference Day3 (2012/Feb/10)
The very first Press announcement of Environment and Development Challenges paper

Press conferences at Rio+20 (2012/Jun/17)

Press conferences at Rio+20
2012 Laureates Press conference
UNEP Paper (Environment and Development Challenges) announcement

Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind

The review of the development of the Environmental Doomsday Clock for a quarter century

Introductory remarks

Since 1992, we have been surveying the sense of impending crisis over the degradation of the natural environment by addressing global environmental experts. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support for the activities of the Asahi Glass Foundation. This chapter is designed to further respondents' understanding of the Questionnaire on the Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind survey by briefly describing its history and the changes in the research methods. It also aims to explain how the survey results may be interpreted and appreciated" We determine that we will further enhance the quality of the content in the years to come, and we are grateful if you wish to continue to respond the questionnaire as you did before.

Fig. 1 Changes in the Environmental Doomsday Clock (world average)

1. Purpose of establishing the Questionnaire on Environmental Problems and the Survival of Humankind

We introduced the questionnaire on the occasion of creating the Blue Planet Prize in 1992. The purpose for introducing the questionnaire was to arouse further interest in global environmental issues among the public through a survey targeting world environmental experts. For more than a quarter of a century, although modestly, we have made a specific contribution to the enhancement of the world's environmental awareness. The total number of respondents to the questionnaire was about 1 thousand for the very first survey in 1992, but it quickly fell into the hundreds. Since 2010, we have earnestly increased exposures to the environmental experts, the number of responses has increased, and currently, we secure more than 2,000 respondents per year.

Fig. 2 Changes in the Number of Respondents (world)

2. History of the evolution of the questionnaire

*The outline of the questionnaire

The questionnaire consists both of "ongoing questions," such as questions asking respondents to tell the "crisis time" of the Environmental Doomsday Clock and also of "nonrecurring questions" such as the particular environmental problems that have attracted attention in the fiscal year in which the survey is distributed. Today, we added some "ongoing questions" beside those focused on the "crisis time." These new questions constitute a type of fixed-point observation intending to report changes in the status quo of particular environmental situations.

A. The "crisis time" of the Environmental Doomsday Clock

In the first year of the survey (1992), we introduced a clock dial consisting of four quadrants representing a particular attitude toward environmental crisis and asked respondents to express their respective attitudes by indicating the appropriate time at a particular quadrant: the first quadrant (0: 01 to 3: 00 -> Barely Concerned), the second quadrant (3: 01 to 6: 00 -> Slightly Concerned), the third quadrant (6: 01 to 9: 00 -> Fairly Concerned), and the fourth quadrant (9: 01-12: 00 -> extremely Concerned) (see the diagram below).

Fig. 3 Diagram of the Doomsday Clock and its quadrons

The respondents selected and answered a specific time from the range of 00: 01 to 12: 00. We have averaged the individual "crisis times" that we received from the worldwide respondents and reported it as the "crisis time."
Since 2003, to infer the background of the respondents' logic of the determination of "crisis time," we have asked respondents to choose the three issues from the list of "concerned issues" about which they were most concerned (see the next paragraph for details) that we provide at the questionnaire. Then we asked respondents to rank the three items that most concerned them. Ultimately, we calculated each "crisis time" as a weighted average according to respondent's ranking.

B. An introduction to the Environmental Issues ("concerned issues") in Determining the Environmental Doomsday Clock Time

We introduced the so-called "concerned issues" in order to achieve a more qualitative association between the "concerned issues" and the "crisis time" humanity finds itself facing.
Since 2003, we have offered a list of "concerned issues" to support respondents' estimation of "crisis time." To create the list of "concerned issues," we selected environmental items such as climate change (8 items related to Agenda 21) and asked respondents to select the three items that most influenced their decision about "crisis time."
This reformation helped us to improve the interpretation of yearly fluctuations of "crisis time." (However, this measure still lacks information about how respondents rank the three selected items by importance.)

In 2011, the list of "concerned issues" was updated to 11 items with reference to the elements of Planetary Boundaries (Rockström et al. 2009 Ecology and Society 14 (2): 32). At the same time, to shed light on the decision-making processes of the respondents, we asked respondents to rank the top three items that they selected by the level of influence each had upon the "crisis time" that they estimated. Then, we weighted the "crisis times" of the top three items (1st: 50%, 2nd: 30%, 3rd place 20%) and calculated the weighted average of individual "crisis times" as the "crisis time" (see the diagram below).
This change of the determination process of "crisis time" offers us a much clearer understanding of respondents' motives as they determine what "crisis time" means to them and leads to a more quantitative overall definition of "crisis time." Furthermore, we calculated the "crisis time" for each "concerned issue." At the same time, we introduced a bubble graph as a powerful visual aid through which it became possible to precisely represent the trend of the world as a whole and also the more individual regional or country-level trends; it also helps to convey how the respondents see the current environmental situation facing the world (please refer to the bubble graphs below).

Fig. 4 The standard question asking about the "crisis time"

Fig. 5 Bubl Graph: "Crisis Times" correlated with "Concerned Issues" (world)

Fig. 6 Transition of "Crisis Times" /"Concerned Issues" 2012 – 2017 (world)

Table 1 Regional distribution of "crisis times" correlated with "concerned issues

As for the new set of "concerned issues," currently (2018) we offer climate change, biosphere integrity (biodiversity), change in terrestrial utilization (land use), biochemical flow (environmental pollution), water resource, population, food, lifestyle, and society/economy/and the environment. We chose those items related to the latest Planetary Boundaries thesis (Steffen et al. Science 13 Feb 2015 vol. 347, issue 6223). Furthermore, each "concerned issue" listed in the questionnaire is related to the relevant development goals of the SDGs.

Table 2 Environmental issues to be taken into account ("Concerned Issues)

C. "Ongoing and nonrecurring questions" of the Questionnaire

*Ongoing question item

Between 1993 and 2010, we added a special "ongoing question" pertaining to a set of environmentally important items, selected by us, from the goals of Agenda 21 and asked respondents about the yearly progress of each item. Since 2011, we have observed and reported transitions of environmental "crisis time" across generations.

Fig. 7 Shifts in the "crisis times" by Generation

*Nonrecurring question items

We formerly selected every year a number of nonrecurring question items that were appropriate to ecological concerns that had gathered particular attention in that year. We abolished this type of nonrecurring question in 2018. However, we will resurrect this if necessary and desired.

3. What comes next

Global environmental problems such as CO2 emissions require a prompt response from society as a whole. For this reason, arousing more people's attention to environmental issues has become a more important goal than ever. Increasing people's awareness about the earth's environment is paramount in the light of the objectives of this questionnaire, and we renew our determination to further increase the number of respondents by improving the quality of the survey contents.

Past Articles

Questionnaire A21-Year Summary

Questionnaire 15-Year Summary

Questionnaire 10-Year Summary

Questionnaire Five-Year Summary

About the Foundation & Afterword

Mission

The Asahi Glass Foundation strives to contribute to the creation of a society that can transmit the genuine wealth of human civilization by supporting advanced research in the fields of science and technology and by recognizing efforts to solve environmental issues that call for global solutions.

Programs

1. Research Grant Program

Grants are awarded to researchers at universities in Japan and in Thailand and Indonesia. To date, the Foundation has awarded ¥9.8 billion in research grants for approximately 7,900 projects.

2. Commendation Program

Awarding of the Blue Planet Prize, an international environmental award, and the annual survey on the global environment, have been conducted since 1992. Based on the results of the survey, the Environmental Doomsday Clock is reset every year.

History

The Asahi Glass Foundation was established in 1933 as the Asahi Foundation for Chemical Industry Promotion, to commemorate the 25th anniversary (in 1932) of the founding of Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Over most of its first half-century, the Foundation focused primarily on fostering research in the field of applied chemistry.

In 1990, the foundation undertook an overall redesign of its programs, expanding the scope of its activities and establishing its commendation program. At the same time it was renamed the Asahi Glass Foundation. Since then, the activities of the foundation have focused on its grant-awarding and commendation programs.

Milestones

Financial Information

Statements of Changes in Financial Position (Million Yen)

INTRODUCING THE ASAHI GLASS FOUNDATION (2012)

A Quest for Securing the Blue Planet

Directors and Councillors

February, 2018

Directors

Afterword

The Blue Planet Prize was established in 1992, the year of the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, and celebrated its 25th year in 2017.

Over these past 25 years, awareness around the world about global environmental issues has increased, and the ranking of countries influencing the global environment has also changed with China becoming the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide.

While seeking international agreement to preserve the global environment, it has deteriorated. It’s true that we could not move quickly because of the time it takes to coordinate among countries, but this does not mean that we are completely lost, as Professor Robert Watson told us at the 25th anniversary symposium held on September 8, 2017.

Many countries recognized the critical phase of the global environment, which prompted them to sign the Paris Agreement in 2015. Although within two years, the United States stated its intention to withdraw from the agreement, all of the other signatories, including China, the largest carbon dioxide emitter, have remained.

Even in the United States, some states and cities made the announcement that they would follow the agreement. This shows that awareness about the global environmental issues has been shared beyond the boundaries of international politics.

Over the past 25 years, people around the world have cooperated in solving global environmental issues as individuals.

The Asahi Glass Foundation is also working harder in the hope that the Blue Planet Prize will contribute to such activities to save the global environment.

Kunihiko Adachi
Senior Executive Director,
Asahi Glass Foundation

By Vol. Number