Happiness needn't cost the earth

There's a new way of measuring the international pecking order. Typically, countries rankings are represented by their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is a measure of national income. This figure is also proportional to the amount that a country consumes resource to generate trade, so there is clearly an environmental impact associated with this measure.

However, nef (the new economics foundation) have come up with a better way, a Happiness Index, that aims to show the environmental efficiency by which countries produce long and happy lives.

As you can imagine, things look very different on this ranking. For example, the UK is a disappointing 108th and the USA fares still worse at 150th on the Index (out of 178 countries, where the data is available). It does show that the targets that governments use to denote success do not make for good happiness levels. High levels of consumption do not create well-being. A consumerist view promotes a more materialist culture, and people covet possessions and status, and not health, peace and longevity.

The report goes on to show that overall we are over-burdening the Earth’s currently available biocapacity: By consuming 22 per cent above our ecosystems’ ability to regenerate we are eating into and degrading the natural resources that our life-support systems depend on. In the process we are depleting the environmental goods and services that future generations will depend on, with potentially devastating consequences.

In light of my recent reading material (see below), I am determined to reduce my ecological footprint. Knowing about the the impact of our individual actions gives us a duty to reduce our consumption levels. Since I am the market, I can effect change on corporations. However, legislative measures are more likely to make good practice stick. The report concludes with a Global Manifesto, which deems that improving well-being is bought about by:

• Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
• Supporting meaningful lives
• Identifying environmental limits and design economic policy to work within them.

But of course, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Measures must be changed to reflect the real status of countries. The G8 countries all score low in the happiness index; the people in these countries overconsume, live unhealthier and shorter lives, and on average don't live less meaningful and happy lives.