The Happy Planet Index ( HPI ; German Index of the Happy Planet ) is an indicator of the ecological efficiency with which a nation generates its well-being. The starting point is the thought that wealth is not the primary goal for a large number of people, but that a happy and healthy life is their primary goal. At the same time, it is important to take into account the "environmental costs" of achieving this goal. As a further development of established economic indices such as the gross domestic product , the HPI includes the criterion of sustainability.
The human development index , which also extends the classic GDP measurement to include additional criteria, also includes the criterion of life expectancy . However, the HPI distinguishes itself from this by including ecological criteria.
By comparing the subjective well-being and the average life expectancy with the ecological footprint , the HPI investigates the question of which country maximizes the well-being of the current generation and at the same time minimizes the resulting environmental pollution in order to enable future generations to generate well-being.
background
"The gross domestic product measures everything, except what makes life worth living." ( Robert Kennedy )
The HPI was developed in July 2006 as an alternative progress indicator for GDP by the New Economics Foundation , a British think tank, in collaboration with Friends of the Earth in Great Britain.
The intention of the HPI is to give society on a global level an alternative orientation in a time of uncertainty. “The HPI provides a compass by measuring what is really important,” for us, but above all for the planet we live on. The HPI is intended to encourage people to deal with both sustainability and life satisfaction, in order to ultimately strengthen environmental awareness.
Data collection and calculation
The HPI is calculated using the following formula:
Here mean:
-
: Life satisfaction (subjective well-being)
-
: Inequality factor (inequality of results)
The data for the HPI report on life expectancy is based on the data collected by the United Nations (Human Development Report). The information on subjective well-being comes from the database of the Gallup World Poll and the ecological footprint per person is a measure of the hypothetical area that is necessary to guarantee a person's standard of living in the long term and was taken from the data of the Global Footprint Network. The inequality of results is expressed as a percentage.
Components of the formula
Source:
- Life expectancy ( Life Expectancy )
- The average expected time between birth and death, in years, provided that the prevailing pattern of age-related death rates does not change from birth to death.
- Life satisfaction ( Experienced Wellbeing )
- the average of all reactions from the population to questions about satisfaction in various areas of life and an overall assessment of life satisfaction. The respondents have to classify this on a scale from 0 to 10. The higher the number, the greater the life satisfaction.
- Inequality of results ( Inequality of Outcomes )
- Measure of how unequal the distribution of life expectancy and subjectively experienced life satisfaction are within a certain country. (Percentage)
- Footprint ( Ecological footprint )
- This is understood to be the area on earth that is necessary to permanently enable the lifestyle and standard of living of a person (under today's production conditions). This includes areas that are required for the production of clothing and food or for the provision of energy, but e.g. B. also for the disposal of garbage or to bind the carbon dioxide released by human activities. It is crucial that the ecological footprint is a measure of consumption, not of production. This means that, for example, the CO 2 that is produced from the production of a cell phone that was made in China but was bought by someone who lives in Chile is part of Chile's Ecological Footprint, not China's.
The ecological footprint is expressed using a standardized unit: global hectares (gha). The global hectare is the average value of the worldwide biological productivity per hectare in one year.
Global comparison of the HPI
The results of the HPI show that nowadays no country can record success with all three factors (high life expectancy, high level of well-being while at the same time adhering to ecological limits).
In general, it can be stated that countries with a high average income, such as the European states or the USA , achieve a lower ranking, because at the same time their ecological footprint is too high. In 2016, Switzerland was ranked 24th, the United Kingdom ranked 34th, Germany ranked 49th, Austria ranked 43rd and the USA only ranked 108th out of a total of 140 countries. The top positions of the HPI are occupied by countries in the Caribbean and countries near the equator, although they have a comparably low GDP . Places one to three go to Costa Rica , Mexico and Colombia .
Distinctive data:
Happy Planet Index:
Life satisfaction:
- high, e.g. E.g .: Switzerland (Rank 1: 7.8), Norway (Rank 2: 7.7), Iceland (Rank 3: 7.6), European countries, USA , South America , Australia , New Zealand
- low, e.g. E.g .: Africa (often on average only 2.9-5), Asia ( India (4.6), Bangladesh (4.7)), Middle East and North Africa ( Syria (3.2), Afghanistan (3.8) , Iraq , Egypt , Lebanon , Iran )
Life expectancy :
- high, e.g. E.g .: Europe (≈ 80-almost 83 years), China , Hong Kong (rank 1: 83.6 years), Japan , Australia , Scandinavia , USA
- low, e.g. E.g .: in large parts of Africa , Afghanistan , Haiti (often on average only around 50-60 years)
Inequality of results :
- high, e.g. E.g .: Africa south of the Sahara (up to 50%), Middle East ( Afghanistan (43%)), Asia ( India (31%), Myanmar (32%))
- low, e.g. E.g .: Europe ( Netherlands (1st place: 4%), Iceland (2nd place), Sweden (3rd place)), Australia , New Zealand , Israel , Japan
Ecological Footprint:
- high, e.g. E.g .: Luxembourg 15.8 gha (rank 1), Australia 9.3 gha (rank 2), Hong Kong 8.8 gha (rank 3), Europe , USA , Russia
- low, e.g. E.g .: Africa , Asia , Afghanistan (0.8 gha), Bangladesh (0.7 gha), Haiti (0.6 gha)
Countries according to Happy Planet Index 2016
rank
|
Country
|
Happy Planet Index
|
Life satisfaction (0 ... 10)
|
Life expectancy ( years)
|
Inequality of results
|
Ecological Footprint (global hectares (gha))
|
1
|
CostaRica
|
44.7
|
7.3
|
79.1
|
15%
|
2.8
|
2
|
Mexico
|
40.7
|
7.3
|
76.4
|
19%
|
2.9
|
3
|
Colombia
|
40.7
|
6.4
|
73.7
|
24%
|
1.9
|
4th
|
Vanuatu
|
40.6
|
6.5
|
71.3
|
22%
|
1.9
|
5
|
Vietnam
|
40.3
|
5.5
|
75.5
|
19%
|
1.7
|
6th
|
Panama
|
39.5
|
6.9
|
77.2
|
19%
|
2.8
|
7th
|
Nicaragua
|
38.7
|
5.4
|
74.3
|
25%
|
1.4
|
8th
|
Bangladesh
|
38.4
|
4.7
|
70.8
|
27%
|
0.7
|
9
|
Thailand
|
37.3
|
6.3
|
74.1
|
15%
|
2.7
|
10
|
Ecuador
|
37.0
|
6.0
|
75.4
|
22%
|
2.2
|
11
|
Jamaica
|
36.9
|
5.6
|
75.3
|
21%
|
1.9
|
12
|
Norway
|
36.8
|
7.7
|
81.3
|
7%
|
5.0
|
13
|
Albania
|
36.8
|
5.5
|
77.3
|
17%
|
2.2
|
14th
|
Uruguay
|
36.1
|
6.4
|
76.9
|
18%
|
2.9
|
15th
|
Spain
|
36.0
|
6.3
|
82.2
|
10%
|
3.7
|
16
|
Indonesia
|
35.7
|
5.4
|
68.5
|
21%
|
1.6
|
17th
|
ElSalvador
|
35.6
|
5.9
|
72.5
|
22%
|
2.1
|
18th
|
Netherlands
|
35.3
|
7.5
|
81.2
|
4%
|
5.3
|
19th
|
Argentina
|
35.2
|
6.5
|
75.9
|
16%
|
3.1
|
20th
|
Philippines
|
35.0
|
5.0
|
67.9
|
26%
|
1.1
|
21st
|
Peru
|
34.6
|
5.8
|
74.1
|
21%
|
2.3
|
22nd
|
Palestine
|
34.5
|
4.6
|
72.6
|
24%
|
1.2
|
23
|
Brazil
|
34.3
|
6.9
|
73.9
|
22%
|
3.1
|
24
|
Switzerland
|
34.3
|
7.8
|
82.6
|
6%
|
5.8
|
25th
|
Tajikistan
|
34.2
|
4.5
|
69.0
|
26%
|
0.9
|
26th
|
Guatemala
|
34.2
|
5.9
|
71.4
|
27%
|
1.9
|
27
|
Belize
|
33.8
|
6.1
|
69.8
|
18%
|
2.5
|
28
|
Sri Lanka
|
33.8
|
4.2
|
74.6
|
17%
|
1.3
|
29
|
Venezuela
|
33.6
|
7.1
|
73.9
|
19%
|
3.6
|
30th
|
Algeria
|
33.3
|
5.6
|
74.3
|
24%
|
2.1
|
31
|
Kyrgyzstan
|
33.1
|
5.2
|
69.7
|
18%
|
1.9
|
32
|
Denmark
|
32.7
|
7.5
|
79.8
|
7%
|
5.5
|
33
|
Morocco
|
32.7
|
5.0
|
73.4
|
25%
|
1.7
|
34
|
United Kingdom
|
31.9
|
6.9
|
80.4
|
9%
|
4.9
|
35
|
Chile
|
31.7
|
6.6
|
81.1
|
14%
|
4.4
|
36
|
Pakistan
|
31.5
|
5.1
|
65.7
|
40%
|
0.8
|
37
|
Finland
|
31.3
|
7.4
|
80.4
|
6%
|
5.9
|
38
|
New Zealand
|
31.3
|
7.2
|
81.4
|
8th %
|
5.6
|
39
|
Iceland
|
31.1
|
7.6
|
82.2
|
5%
|
6.4
|
40
|
Georgia
|
31.1
|
4.3
|
74.6
|
20%
|
1.6
|
41
|
Cyprus rep
|
30.7
|
6.2
|
79.8
|
12%
|
4.2
|
42
|
Nepal
|
30.5
|
4.2
|
68.8
|
27%
|
1.0
|
43
|
oesterre
|
30.5
|
7.4
|
81.0
|
7%
|
6.1
|
44
|
France
|
30.4
|
6.6
|
81.8
|
9%
|
5.1
|
45
|
Dominican Republic
|
30.3
|
4.8
|
73.1
|
30%
|
1.5
|
46
|
Malaysia
|
30.3
|
5.9
|
74.4
|
10%
|
3.7
|
47
|
Croatia
|
30.2
|
6.0
|
77.0
|
12%
|
3.9
|
48
|
Ireland
|
30.0
|
7.0
|
80.5
|
8th %
|
5.6
|
49
|
Germany
|
29.8
|
6.7
|
80.6
|
8th %
|
5.3
|
50
|
India
|
29.2
|
4.6
|
67.3
|
31%
|
1.2
|
51
|
Uzbekistan
|
29.1
|
6.0
|
68.2
|
30%
|
2.3
|
52
|
Serbia
|
29.0
|
5.2
|
74.5
|
19%
|
2.7
|
53
|
Malta
|
29.0
|
6.0
|
80.2
|
13%
|
4.4
|
54
|
Israel
|
28.8
|
7.1
|
81.9
|
8th %
|
6.2
|
55
|
Romania
|
28.8
|
5.2
|
74.3
|
19%
|
2.7
|
56
|
Bhutan
|
28.6
|
5.6
|
68.7
|
27%
|
2.3
|
57
|
Haiti
|
28.6
|
4.4
|
62.1
|
37%
|
0.6
|
58
|
Japan
|
28.3
|
6.0
|
83.2
|
9%
|
5.0
|
59
|
Slovakia
|
28.2
|
5.9
|
75.9
|
13%
|
4.1
|
60
|
Italy
|
28.1
|
5.8
|
82.7
|
12%
|
4.6
|
61
|
Sweden
|
28.0
|
7.6
|
81.8
|
6%
|
7.3
|
62
|
Poland
|
27.5
|
5.9
|
76.9
|
11%
|
4.4
|
63
|
Mauritius
|
27.4
|
5.5
|
74.0
|
17%
|
3.5
|
64
|
Czech Republic
|
27.3
|
6.3
|
78.2
|
9%
|
5.2
|
65
|
Honduras
|
27.2
|
4.6
|
72.8
|
31%
|
1.7
|
66
|
Ethiopia
|
26.7
|
4.6
|
62.8
|
36%
|
1.0
|
67
|
Iraq
|
26.5
|
4.7
|
69.0
|
27%
|
1.9
|
68
|
Turkey
|
26.4
|
5.3
|
74.7
|
19%
|
3.3
|
69
|
Hungary
|
26.4
|
4.7
|
74.9
|
15%
|
2.9
|
70
|
Ukraine
|
26.4
|
5.0
|
70.3
|
17%
|
2.8
|
71
|
Tunisia
|
26.2
|
4.5
|
74.6
|
22%
|
2.3
|
72
|
Chinese people
|
25.7
|
5.1
|
75.4
|
17%
|
3.4
|
73
|
Armenia
|
25.7
|
4.3
|
74.4
|
22%
|
2.2
|
74
|
Cambodia
|
25.6
|
3.9
|
67.5
|
28%
|
1.2
|
75
|
Suriname
|
25.4
|
6.3
|
70.8
|
19%
|
4.3
|
76
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
25.3
|
4.8
|
76.2
|
19%
|
3.1
|
77
|
Zambia
|
25.2
|
5.0
|
58.4
|
41%
|
1.0
|
78
|
Montenegro
|
25.1
|
5.2
|
75.8
|
16%
|
3.8
|
79
|
Portugal
|
24.9
|
5.0
|
80.3
|
16%
|
3.9
|
80
|
South Korea
|
24.8
|
6.0
|
81.3
|
11%
|
5.7
|
81
|
Myanmar
|
24.7
|
4.4
|
65.5
|
32%
|
1.4
|
82
|
Slovenia
|
24.6
|
6.1
|
80.0
|
10%
|
5.8
|
83
|
Kenya
|
24.2
|
4.5
|
60.3
|
38%
|
1.0
|
84
|
Iran
|
24.0
|
4.6
|
74.8
|
23%
|
2.8
|
85
|
Canada
|
24.0
|
7.4
|
81.7
|
9%
|
8.2
|
86
|
Egypt
|
23.8
|
4.2
|
70.0
|
23%
|
2.2
|
87
|
Belgium
|
23.7
|
6.9
|
80.4
|
9%
|
7.4
|
88
|
Mozambique
|
23.7
|
5.0
|
54.3
|
43%
|
0.9
|
89
|
Greece
|
23.6
|
5.1
|
80.5
|
16%
|
4.4
|
90
|
North Macedonia
|
23.4
|
4.6
|
75.1
|
18%
|
3.3
|
91
|
Paraguay
|
23.3
|
5.8
|
72.6
|
22%
|
4.2
|
92
|
Bolivia
|
23.3
|
6.0
|
67.5
|
35%
|
3.0
|
93
|
Comoros
|
23.1
|
4.0
|
62.6
|
36%
|
1.0
|
94
|
Yemen
|
22.8
|
4.1
|
63.3
|
39%
|
1.0
|
95
|
Nigeria
|
22.2
|
5.5
|
52.1
|
44%
|
1.2
|
96
|
Liberia
|
22.2
|
4.4
|
60.2
|
38%
|
1.2
|
97
|
Tanzania
|
22.1
|
4.0
|
63.5
|
33%
|
1.3
|
98
|
Malawi
|
22.1
|
4.3
|
60.1
|
45%
|
0.8
|
99
|
Zimbabwe
|
22.1
|
5.0
|
53.7
|
37%
|
1.4
|
100
|
Lebanon
|
21.9
|
4.6
|
78.8
|
19%
|
3.8
|
101
|
Senegal
|
21.9
|
3.7
|
65.4
|
33%
|
1.2
|
102
|
Belarus
|
21.7
|
5.7
|
70.9
|
13%
|
5.1
|
103
|
Namibia
|
21.6
|
4.7
|
64.0
|
26%
|
2.5
|
104
|
Ghana
|
21.4
|
5.1
|
61.0
|
38%
|
2.0
|
105
|
Australia
|
21.2
|
7.2
|
82.1
|
8th %
|
9.3
|
106
|
Oman
|
21.1
|
6.9
|
76.3
|
13%
|
7.5
|
107
|
Lithuania
|
21.0
|
5.8
|
72.8
|
11%
|
5.8
|
108
|
United States
|
20.7
|
7.0
|
78.8
|
13%
|
8.2
|
109
|
Bulgaria
|
20.4
|
4.2
|
73.9
|
19%
|
3.3
|
110
|
Afghanistan
|
20.2
|
3.8
|
59.7
|
43%
|
0.8
|
111
|
Rwanda
|
19.6
|
3.3
|
63.1
|
37%
|
0.9
|
112
|
Uganda
|
19.4
|
4.3
|
57.1
|
41%
|
1.2
|
113
|
Syria
|
19.1
|
3.2
|
70.4
|
30%
|
1.5
|
114
|
Kazakhstan
|
19.1
|
5.8
|
68.6
|
18%
|
5.6
|
115
|
Congorep
|
18.8
|
3.9
|
61.0
|
40%
|
1.3
|
116
|
Russia
|
18.7
|
5.6
|
69.5
|
16%
|
5.7
|
117
|
Mauritania
|
18.0
|
4.7
|
62.6
|
37%
|
2.5
|
118
|
Estonia
|
17.9
|
5.4
|
76.2
|
12%
|
6.9
|
119
|
BurkinaFaso
|
17.9
|
4.0
|
58.0
|
43%
|
1.2
|
120
|
Gabon
|
17.5
|
4.0
|
63.3
|
36%
|
2.0
|
121
|
Latvia
|
17.1
|
5.1
|
73.6
|
14%
|
6.3
|
122
|
Niger
|
16.8
|
3.8
|
60.0
|
40%
|
1.6
|
123
|
Hong Kong
|
16.8
|
5.5
|
83.6
|
10%
|
8.8
|
124
|
Cameroon
|
16.7
|
4.2
|
54.6
|
47%
|
1.2
|
125
|
Lesotho
|
16.7
|
4.9
|
48.9
|
42%
|
1.7
|
126
|
Botswana
|
16.6
|
4.8
|
64.2
|
28%
|
3.8
|
127
|
Djibouti
|
16.4
|
4.4
|
61.3
|
42%
|
2.2
|
128
|
South Africa
|
15.9
|
5.1
|
56.3
|
33%
|
3.3
|
129
|
Guinea
|
15.9
|
3.7
|
57.7
|
42%
|
1.4
|
130
|
Trinidad and Tobago
|
15.7
|
6.4
|
70.1
|
21%
|
7.9
|
131
|
Burundi
|
15.6
|
3.4
|
55.8
|
48%
|
0.8
|
132
|
Swaziland
|
15.5
|
4.9
|
48.9
|
41%
|
2.0
|
133
|
SierraLeone
|
15.3
|
4.5
|
49.8
|
50%
|
1.2
|
134
|
Turkmenistan
|
14.6
|
5.5
|
65.3
|
31%
|
5.5
|
135
|
Ivory Coast
|
14.4
|
3.8
|
50.8
|
45%
|
1.3
|
136
|
Mongolia
|
14.3
|
4.9
|
68.6
|
22%
|
6.1
|
137
|
Benin
|
13.4
|
3.2
|
59.2
|
44%
|
1.4
|
138
|
Togo
|
13.2
|
2.9
|
58.6
|
43%
|
1.1
|
139
|
Luxembourg
|
13.2
|
7.0
|
81.1
|
7%
|
15.8
|
140
|
Chad
|
12.8
|
4.0
|
50.8
|
51%
|
1.5
|
Happy Planet Index 2007,
highest value to
lowest value
Relationship to prosperity and quality of life
Since life satisfaction is divided by the ecological footprint, both components are weighted equally. The ranking of the countries according to the HPI is therefore neither ordered according to life satisfaction nor according to their ecological footprint. The HPI is therefore not a direct indicator for life satisfaction or the ecological footprint, but for the ecological efficiency of generating satisfaction. It receives maximum values when life satisfaction is as high as possible and the ecological footprint is as small as possible. However, this combination is seldom found in the real world, since high satisfaction usually goes hand in hand with a high ecological footprint. Conversely, a low ecological footprint is usually due to the country's low level of prosperity. With an increase in prosperity, an increase in the ecological footprint can be expected. Very poor countries tend to be found in the lower half of the global rankings due to their low life expectancy and satisfaction. These are mainly the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. European countries are predominantly represented in the upper half, as they have a very high level of life satisfaction and life expectancy. Nevertheless, due to their high ecological footprints, a fifth of European countries are represented in the lower half. Accordingly, Luxembourg, with the highest ecological footprint in the world, ranks next to last. In a continental comparison, the countries of South America have the best HPI values, by dividing the values of medium to high life satisfaction and life expectancy by medium ecological footprints. A desirable goal is to increase the global mean of the HPI and to keep the variance of the countries low. In concrete terms, this means that western countries, as well as some of the transition countries and Southeast Asia, have to reduce their ecological footprint. African and South Asian countries, the Middle East, as well as some of the transition countries and Southeast Asia, on the other hand, must be given a higher quality of life without increasing the ecological footprint.
Both objectives strive for a ratio of high life satisfaction and a low ecological footprint.
Personal contribution to life satisfaction
Although a large number of factors determine individual life satisfaction, one's own thoughts and actions can have the greatest influence. The NEF presented in this context on a concept for the life satisfaction depends on the one hand from the experience, to feel good. These positive experiences are generated through feelings such as happiness, contentment and pleasure, as well as curiosity and activity. On the other hand, your own functionality is decisive for your well-being. These include functioning interpersonal relationships, being in control of your own life and seeing meaning in life.
The NEF identified five essential factors that are easy for people to implement and help to achieve greater life satisfaction.
-
Connect - Social relationships are critical to individual wellbeing and reduce the risk of mental illness.
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Be Active - Physical activity increases feelings of happiness and reduces the risk of depression and anxiety.
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Take Notice - Mindfulness towards the environment and one's own feelings leads to greater inner satisfaction. Experiences reflected through attention can reveal what is a priority in life.
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Keep Learning - Constant learning improves self-esteem and brings a social and active life with it.
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Give - giving builds a positive connection to other people, which is an added value for your own satisfaction.
Using these five factors, life satisfaction can be increased with simple means, without having to harm nature.
Meaningfulness of the HPI and criticism
The HPI combines objective and subjective measured values in economic, social and ecological areas. The focus is clearly on individual wellbeing and ecological sustainability. At this point, the HPI summarizes the existing indices, HLY (Happy Life Years) and EFP (Ecological Footprint). Nevertheless, the HPI contains comparatively few measured variables. The attempt to limit oneself to essential aspects has the consequence that further important factors, for example in the areas of politics, social affairs and culture, are missing. This leads to questionable results in which z. B. Albania (13th place) and Bangladesh (8th place) score well in the HPI ranking despite critical circumstances.
A general problem of empirical science must also be viewed critically: Findings based on measurements go hand in hand with the fact that their operationalization is always associated with a radical reduction in the complexity of the observed phenomenon. This problem becomes apparent with the HPI in that the selection of the criteria themselves and their relevance are assessed by the NEF. In addition, according to the critical self-image of science, findings are not considered absolute. In particular, life satisfaction as a subjective and personal measured value can be culturally and situationally conditioned, as well as the problem of social desirability. From a cultural point of view, it can be assumed that collectivist cultures tend to rate their satisfaction with life more positively than individualistic ones. The assessment varies depending on the situation, for example through surveys in the rainy season, in summer or winter. External influences have great effects on the current state of mind of the individual.
Due to the linking of reliable databases, originating from the Gallup World Poll (measurements of subjective well-being), the WWF (measurement of the ecological footprint) and the Human Development Report (data on life expectancy), a high level of validity and the possibility of presentation as quotient or graphic plot, the HPI shows a favorable ratio between low complexity and high informative value compared to other indices. Clear statements can be made about the relationship between life expectancy, well-being and ecological sustainability and GDP. There is a causal relationship between increasing life expectancy and increasing GDP . In contrast, from a certain economic development onwards, life satisfaction is independent of economic growth. The ecological sustainability is clearly negatively influenced by an increasing GDP. This shows that life satisfaction and ecological sustainability cannot be achieved by increasing GDP.
Due to the general index problem, the HPI, as one of many alternatives to GDP, is not an absolutely all-encompassing solution. It makes strategic sense to consider many alternatives in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of selected countries and to be able to compare them with one another. The HPI can function as a useful supplement, but cannot replace the GDP for reasons of acceptance, as the GDP is strongly anchored politically and socially.
outlook
According to the New Economics Foundation (NEF), with the current global economic framework, designed for economic growth, it is not possible to combine high life satisfaction and life expectancy with so-called "one-planet-living". Prosperity must be reduced to a medium level, since middle-income countries, such as Latin America or Southeast Asia , have the highest HPI values. In order to achieve this goal, possibilities would have to be shown which the countries favor of themselves and which do not perceive as a burden based on laws. This requires a new form of communication that conveys that a good life in harmony with nature is possible. The overconsumption of rich countries represents a barrier to sustainable wellbeing. Avoiding overconsumption not only has a positive effect on the same country, but also has global effects. This is due to the link between the overconsumption of many rich countries and the exploitation of poor countries.
The aim is to focus on economic models that do not aim at permanent growth, but aim at stable prosperity. For this purpose, regular measurements of satisfaction and the state of the environment should take place in order to perceive their relationship to one another as a guideline for the future.
The aim of the NEF by 2050 is to achieve an HPI of 89 worldwide. Concrete demands for well-developed countries are the reduction of the ecological footprint by 1 / gha. At the same time, life satisfaction should be increased to a value of eight and a life expectancy of 87 years should be achieved. In order for developing countries to achieve a score of 89, help from the international community and richer countries is expected.
In general, two approaches towards a higher HPI can be distinguished. One strategy is based on the principle of “Living better, using less”. The strategy focuses on the three components: health, positive life experiences and ecological footprint and requires approaches in economics, community and changing lifestyles. It is similar to the economic model of postal growth according to Paech , which aims at a socially stable and globally fair supply structure within the ecological load limits. The second approach is based on the principle of green growth, which the OECD represents. The focus here is on using and developing more efficient, so-called green technologies and methods, for example in the field of energy generation through solar systems or wind turbines. Thus the ecological footprint can be reduced and at the same time the quality of life can be maintained or even increased.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
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↑ Meinert, S. / Stollt, M .: Gross Domestic Happiness : In Search of Qualitative Development . S. 1 .
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↑ Happy Planet Index. In: Lexicon of Sustainability. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
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↑ Meinert, S. / Stollt, M .: Gross Domestic Happiness : In Search of Qualitative Development . S. 1 .
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↑ Meinert, S. / Stollt, M .: Gross Domestic Happiness : In Search of Qualitative Development . S. 7 .
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↑ Meinert, S. / Stollt, M .: Gross Domestic Happiness : In Search of Qualitative Development . S. 7 .
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↑ Happy Planet Index. In: Lexicon of Sustainability. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
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↑ Abdallah, Saamah et al .: The Happy Planet Index. 2016, accessed September 26, 2017 .
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^ NEF: Happy Planet Index: Methods Paper . 2016, p. 2 .
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↑ Happy Planet Index. In: Lexicon of Sustainability. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
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↑ Abdallah, Saamah et al .: The Happy Planet Index. 2016, accessed September 26, 2017 .
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↑ Aked, Jody et al .: Five ways to wellbeing. NEF, 2008, accessed September 26, 2017 .
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^ IZW: HPI Happy Planet Index. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
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^ Raith, D .: Measurement is power .
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↑ Spörrle, M. et al .: Network research in a cultural context . 2009.
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↑ Cahen, a .: The importance of culture for social information processing . 2002.
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^ IZW: HPI Happy Planet Index. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .
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↑ Abdallah, Saamah et al .: The Happy Planet Index 2.0. 2016, accessed September 26, 2017 .
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^ Peach, N .: Liberation from Abundance . 2012.
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↑ OECD Publishing (Ed.): Towards Green Growth . 2011, doi : 10.1787 / 9789264111318-en .