| Where is the "happiest place on earth ?" | | | | of life satisfaction (they are very happy with their |
| Disneyworld claims it is and, though it is a great | | | | life), and yet have a carbon footprint which is less |
| place to enjoy once in a while, the most satisfying | | | | than a quarter the size of the States. |
| place to live on the planet is officially tiny Costa | | | | The little country reached the top of the rankings |
| Rica, winner of the Happy Planet Index. | | | | for many reasons. |
| The Index measures three things: high life | | | | It does not just talk about sustainable |
| expectancy, high life satisfaction, and a low | | | | development, it is committed to it. While the |
| ecological footprint. | | | | developed world and rising powers of China and |
| 143 countries were rated, representing 99 per | | | | India rely upon nonrenewable resources (think oil) |
| cent of the world's population, and Costa Rica | | | | for power while contributing to serious global |
| came out on top---by a lot. | | | | pollution and global warming, an incredible 99% of |
| The Index asked three questions:1. What is a | | | | Costa Rica's energy is completely renewable and |
| country's life expectancy ( premise: it is better to | | | | sustainable. As the States and other developed |
| live longer than die young)? 2. How satisfied are a | | | | countries dither about how to address power |
| country's people with the quality of their life | | | | needs, chase more and more resources to use |
| (premise: living longer but miserably is not very | | | | up, and argue about the challenges of global |
| satisfying)? and 3. What is the cost to the planet | | | | warming, tiny Costa Rica has been taking action. |
| (premise: sustainable development is better than | | | | Even as more and more of the world is being |
| exhausting resources)? | | | | deforested, there are 20% more forested areas |
| Most of us assume that the richest, most | | | | in Costa Rica than just 20 years ago. And, though |
| developed countries should be at the top but it | | | | there may be large oil deposits off its shores, the |
| just is not so. In fact, the developed nations fall | | | | country has ignored its Siren Song and refuses to |
| somewhere in the middle. Great Britain comes in | | | | allow oil drilling. Also, it is the first, and so far the |
| at at 74th place and the U.S. is way back in 114th | | | | only, country to commit to being completely |
| place. | | | | carbon neutral by 2021. Costa Rica's per capita |
| The difference between Costa Rica and the USA | | | | income is only a fraction of that of the United |
| is striking. Costa Ricans live longer than Americans | | | | States and other western countries but its |
| (health care is nationalized, nearly free, and | | | | ranking at number 1 in all the world is a model to |
| universal in Costa Rica), report much higher levels | | | | emulate. |