European countries lag far behind Vanuatu in 'Happy league'
A new study complied by Friends of the Earth and the New Economics Foundation (nef) has for the first time rated countries according to their 'Happy Planet Index'. Leading the world is the tiny pacific island nation of Vanuatu. European nations lagged far behind. The figures are calculated from the relationship between three factors - life expectancy, ecological 'footprint' (the impact on the environment of using goods and services) and subjective reports of well-being. The traditional measure of success - the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - was not used. Nic Marks is the head the New Economics Foundation's Centre for well-being. 'It is clear that no single nation listed in the Happy Planet Index has got everything right. But the Index does reveal patterns that show how we might better achieve long and happy lives for all, whilst living within our environmental means. The challenge is - can we learn the lessons and apply them? Governments the world over have been concentrating on the targets for too long. If you have the wrong map, you are unlikely to reach your destination,' he says. The report presents four main findings: - Happy lives can be achieved with small environmental impact. The report compares the US and Germany - each with similar life expectancy and life satisfaction, although the average German will make half the environmental impact of the average American. - Countries with the same ecological footprint can have varying scores for longevity and well-being. For example, Russia and Japan have similar ecological footprints, but the Japanese are likely to live 17 years longer and be 50 per cent happier. - Similar countries can have sharp differences in satisfaction. Moldova and Honduras are ranked sequentially in the UN's Human Development Index, and have similar life expectancy and ecological footprints. But, Hondurans are twice as happy. - Island Nations score highly, with higher satisfaction, higher life expectancy and lower ecological footprints, despite similar economic levels for their regions. Another key finding was that no single country performed very well. The country with the highest score, Vanuatu, scored 68.2 out of a possible 100. The authors set an 'ideal' target of 83.5 which is achievable via a reasonable level of satisfaction, a moderately high life expectancy and a modest ecological footprint. The country with the lowest score was Zimbabwe, with 16.6. 'We are used to comparing countries in terms of crude riches or what they trade. There are international league tables for performance on issues from corruption to sporting success. But, nef's Happy Planet Index measures something much more fundamental. It addresses the relative success or failure of countries in giving their citizens a good life, whilst respecting the environmental resource limits on which all our lives depend. The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because, to a large degree, policy makers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world,' said nef's Policy Director, Andrew Simms. The report concludes with a recipe to increase global happiness, including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, including the cancellation of third world debt, the support of meaningful lives, key to personal satisfaction, identifying environmental limits, and designing policy to work around those limits. A list of European Union nations, and selected others, in rank order: Bhutan rank 13th out of 178, HPI score 61.1 China 31 HPI score 56 Malta 40 HPI score 53.3 Trinidad and Tobago 50 HPI score 51.9 Austria 61 HPI score 48.8 India 62 HPI score 48.7 Brazil 63 HPI score 48.6 Italy 66 HPI score 48.3 Netherlands 70 HPI score 46 Cyprus 72 HPI score 46 Luxembourg 74 HPI score 45.6 Belgium 78 HPI score 44 Slovenia 79 HPI score 44 Germany 81 HPI score 43.8 Croatia 82 HPI score 43.7 Japan 95 HPI score 41.7 Denmark 99 HPI score 41.4 United Kingdom 108 HPI score 40.3 Canada 111 HPI score 39.8 Ireland 113 HPI score 39.4 Poland 114 HPI score 39.3 Sweden 119 HPI score 38.2 Romania 120 HPI score 37.7 Hungary 121 HPI score 37.6 Finland 123 HPI score 37.4 Czech Republic 128 HPI score 36.6 France 129 HPI score 36.4 Slovakia 132 HPI score 35.8 Greece 133 HPI score 35.7 Portugal 136 HPI score 34.8 Bulgaria 145 HPI score 31.6 Lithuania 149 HPI score 29.3 US 150 HPI score 28.8 Latvia 160 HPI score 27.3 Russia 172 HPI score 22.8 Estonia 173 HPI score 22.7