Silly socialists
(BBC) Europe’s carbon emissions have risen markedly over the last 40 years, but the extra fuel use has brought little increase in happiness, a report says.
Written by the New Economics Foundation (Nef), it says that reducing social inequality and energy consumption are key drivers of improved wellbeing.
Iceland has the highest ratio of wellbeing to emissions, with the UK 21st out of 30 countries assessed.
A Nef report last year rated Vanuatu as the happiest nation on Earth.
The ratings are based on its Happy Planet Index (HPI). Countries score points for how happy citizens rate themselves to be and how long they live, and lose points for their per-capita carbon output.
Interesting. No, wait, that other thing. Silly. Me, I’m rather happing tooling around in my car and running the AC at home. I enjoy driving off to someplace fun, rather then sitting around at home sweating. I like running the washer and dryer, so I have clean clothes and do not smell like Hippie.
This really is about socialism, and it is cute how they combine climate change with a socialist economy.
"Countries that have most closely followed the Anglo-Saxon, strongly market-led economic model show up as the least efficient," commented Nef’s policy director, Andrew Simms.
Versus the old Soviet "communistic" model, which did so well, including in Eastern Europe, as well as the current socialistic models used in Europe, which have resulted in a very low GDP and high unemployment.
Based on its analysis, Nef’s prescription for happy European countries with low per-capita carbon footprints includes measures such as:
1. mandatory short-term targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions
2. reducing inequalities in income, education, health and social opportunity
3. using the emerging science of wellbeing as a driver of policy
Sounds like a recipe for a depression. But everyone would feel good!
