Happy Planet Index (HPI)

1
Happy Planet Index (HPI)

• Developed by the New Economics Foundation
  www.neweconomics.org/
• We aim to improve quality of life by promoting
  innovative solutions that challenge mainstream
  thinking on economic, environmental and social
  issues. We work in partnership and put people and
  the planet first. Our goal is to promote the
  concept of well-being as a legitimate and useful
  aim of policy.
• The HPI shows the ecological efficiency with
  which human well-being is delivered around the
  world www.happyplanetindex.org/
• It incorporates (i) a countrys average
  ecological footprint, (ii) life-satisfaction and
  (iii) life expectancy
• On a scale of 0 to 100, Zimbabwe is at 16.6 and
  Costa Rica is at 76.1. Canada is at 39.4, Hong
  Kong at 41.6, and China at 57.
• The HPI does not indicate the happiest country or
  the best place to live. Nor does it indicate the
  most developed country or the most
  environmentally friendly. It combines all of
  these, comparing countries progress towards the
  goal of providing long-term well-being for all
  without exceeding the limits of equitable
  resource consumption.
• The NEF suggests that all countries should aim at
  a goal of 89 on the HPI by 2050. Their message is
  that when we focus on the efficiency with which
  we turn natural resource inputs into the ultimate
  goal of long and happy lives, we can all do
  better.