Higher Standard of Living Does Not Necessarily Make a Nation Greener or Happier

[Chuck]

Greater emissions > Greater prosperity > Greater happiness? Not Necessarily

www.bbcnews.com - July 15, 2007

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.
… [Read More]

[BailOut]

That's an interesting read. We all know that money doesn't buy happiness, but this is the first time I've seen carbon emissions thought of in the same way.

Whenever anyone starts talking about reducing our own carbon footprint here in America, industry automatically gives their canned responses regarding individual lives changing due to "sacrificing" some fuel usage, shaking the economy up, etc... as if the average American is genuinely happy living in a place where you'll likely never own your home, you won't own most of the cars you drive throughout your life, the costs of medical care are spiraling out of reach and, even with the knowledge we have today, power utilities are still being granted licenses to build non-post-processing dirt burners.