Urgency of Societal Challenges
% of Experts, “Urgent” (4+5), 2011–2020
The perceived urgency of acting on climate change has been steadily increasing over the last decade among those surveyed in GlobeScan and SustainAbility’s survey of sustainability professionals, with 94 percent of respondents now saying that the challenge is “very urgent.” Climate, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and poverty have been consistently seen as the greatest social and environmental challenges facing the global community, but 2020 has also seen a dramatic rise in urgency of inequality issues like poverty, economic inequality and access to healthcare.
Notes:
- Question wording: Considering society’s numerous sustainable development challenges, please rate the urgency of each of the following…
- Data source: GlobeScan / SustainAbility Survey of over 700 experts representing business, government, NGOs and academia across 71 countries.
