UK: Europe’s footprint just gets bigger

People in Scandinavia are happier and consume less than anywhere in Europe. This is what emerges from a recent Europe wide study meant to determine the relationship been a country?s consumption of resources and the well being of it?s population.

The New Economics Foundation (NEF), with the collaboration of Friends of the Earth, has come up with an innovative ranking system that quantifies the health and wealth of Europe?s nations. Known as the European Happy Planet Index, the NEF?s index takes into consideration life expectancy, life satisfaction and the national carbon footprint for each European country. Every country is then ranked according to the efficiency with which their use of resources is translated into long and happy lives, with surprising results.

Over the last 40 years Europe as a whole has become less efficient in delivering wellbeing. In other words, people consume more and yet are not as happy as in the 1960?s. Moreover, Europe is less carbon efficient today than it was in 1961.

Measuring health and wealth
The Happy Planet Index is the NEF?s alternative to the UN?s Human Development Index, also a means of measuring the wellbeing of a country, but one that uses the more standard criteria of life expectancy, education and gross domestic product (GDP). The NEF believes that such criteria do not account for the actual well being of a nation, especially because they ignore qualitative and environmental aspects. Economy campaigner for Friends of the Earth, Simon Bullock, highlights that it is ?not just ramped up GDP? that counts, but that low carbon and high-happiness should be the goals of our society.

Out of a total of 30 countries, the UK ranks a shocking 21st in the European Happiness Index, with only Luxembourg and the transition economies of Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria left to lag behind. Scandinavian countries steal the top ranks, while Iceland takes first place as the most efficient and happiest nation.

This may not come as a surprise, seeing as in 2006 Iceland, Norway and Sweden had also achieved high scores in the UN?s 2006 Human Development ranking and because they are considered by many to be the most technologically and socially advanced countries. However, the important fact that the Happy Index reveals is that a high standard of living does not necessarily require high levels of consumption.

Nic Marks, founder of Nef?s Centre for well-being, says that ?Iceland?s combination of strong social policies and extensive use of renewable energy demonstrate that living within our environmental means doesn?t mean sacrificing human well-being?.

The results of the survey, that involved 34,000 Europeans, also revealed that wellbeing was determined not by income its self, but rather by income equality, levels of trust and activities such as volunteering and active participation in politics.

Finally, it is clear from the results that Europe is nowhere near achieving the aims it has set itself in terms of emissions reduction, in fact, Europe as a whole is responsible for nearly three times its fair share of global carbon emissions. ? Our economy has been binge-drinking fossil fuels for years – says Bullock – but not only has this been wrecking the environment it?s not been making us any happier either?.

A model for the future?
It would seem that the market-led economies turn out to be the least efficient, both in producing well being and in protecting the environment. According to the NEF, policy makers should look to the Scandinavian model and set key targets such as:

• Reducing consumption by setting legally binding targets for reduction;
• Reducing social inequalities including access to health services and education;
• Supporting the idea of bring meaning to peoples lives by taking into account their well being.

More info:

• www.neweconomics.org