An Eco-wakening

The report finds a global increase in concern for nature loss, particularly in emerging markets, driven by digital activism and changing consumer habits. While public demand for sustainability is rising and influencing corporate behavior in sectors like fashion and cosmetics, a gap remains between public sentiment and effective government enforcement of environmental laws.

• Global awareness and engagement with nature preservation are increasing, with the most significant growth occurring in emerging markets, specifically India (190%), Pakistan (88%), and Indonesia (53%).
• Digital platforms are critical for amplifying nature issues; Twitter mentions of biodiversity and nature loss rose by 65% since 2016, with a 136% increase in Latin America between 2016 and 2019.
• Consumer behavior is shifting toward sustainability, evidenced by a 71% global increase in Google searches for sustainable goods between 2016 and 2020.
• The fashion and textile industry is responding to consumer pressure, with 65% of surveyed businesses committing to sustainably produced raw materials and 60% collecting supply chain sustainability data.
• Despite a 38-fold increase in environmental laws since 1972, a primary barrier to protecting biodiversity is the failure to properly enforce these regulations.
• In Brazil, nature-loss campaigns saw massive public engagement, producing 23 million signatures—13% of the global total—despite a reported rise in deforestation of almost 50% over two years.
• The COVID-19 pandemic increased environmental awareness; a survey of 3,000 people across eight countries found 70% are more aware that human activity threatens the environment than they were before the pandemic.
• In the United Kingdom, ethical consumer spending reached £41bn in 2019, and Google searches for sustainable products grew by 800% between 2016 and 2020.

APA

WWF International (2021). An Eco-wakening. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/520/93ts5bhvyq_An_EcoWakening_Measuring_awareness__engagement_and_action_for_natur_JxI9VC0.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. An Eco-wakening. 2021. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/520/93ts5bhvyq_An_EcoWakening_Measuring_awareness__engagement_and_action_for_natur_JxI9VC0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=An Eco-wakening |date=2021 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/520/93ts5bhvyq_An_EcoWakening_Measuring_awareness__engagement_and_action_for_natur_JxI9VC0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2021ecowakening, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{An Eco-wakening}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/520/93ts5bhvyq_An_EcoWakening_Measuring_awareness__engagement_and_action_for_natur_JxI9VC0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }