Description:
People can live long, happy lives without consuming large amounts of the Earth's resources, a survey suggests.
The 178-nation "Happy Planet Index" lists the south Pacific island of Vanuatu as the happiest nation on the planet, while the U.S. is ranked 150th.
The index is based on consumption levels, life expectancy and happiness, rather than national economic wealth measurements such as GDP.
The study was compiled by think-tank the New Economics Foundation (Nef).
"The Happy Planet Index is an innovative new measure that shows the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world. It is the first ever index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which country by country, people live long and happy lives. The results are surprising, even shocking, but there is much to learn from what they show." - happyplanetindex.org |
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