[general_devel] New report The Happy Planet Index 2.0: Why good lives don't have to cost the earth

[Vern Weitzel]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Dear Colleagues, new report The Happy Planet Index 2.0: Why good lives 
don't have to cost the earth
Date: Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:21:56 -0500
From: victoria.johnson at neweconomics.org
Reply-To: victoria.johnson at neweconomics.org
To: Climate Change Info Mailing List <climate-l at lists.iisd.ca>

Dear Colleagues,

The (un)Happy Planet Index 2.0: Why good lives don’t have to cost the Earth

nef (the new economics foundation) is pleased to announce the release of the 
second global ranking of the ecological efficiency with which the world’s 
nations deliver long and happy lives for the people who live there – the ‘Happy 
Planet Index’. The report reveals a surprising picture of the relative wealth 
and progress of nations:

• Latin America tops the Index with Costa Rica the ’greenest and happiest’ 
country.  Nine of the ten highest-scoring nations are Latin American

• The USA, China and India were all ‘greener and happier’ twenty years ago than 
today

• The World’s richest plummet from 1960s to late 1970s, with scores still lower 
today than 1961

• The UK comes 74th, USA 114th out of 143 nations surveyed.

The new Index is based on improved data for 143 countries around the world, 
representing 99 per cent of the world’s population. By stripping the economy 
back to its meaningful outputs (lives of varying length and happiness) and 
ultimate inputs (the Earth’s finite resources) the HPI is the definitive 
efficiency measure. It provides a clear guide to what ultimately matters to us 
and what matters for the planet.

The full report and data are available for free download at the accompanying 
web-site: www.happyplanetindex.org

_______________________________________________
Dr Victoria Johnson
Lead Researcher
nef Climate Change & Energy Programme
t:020 7820 6358 e: victoria.johnson at neweconomics.org