The Guardian published a fascinating ‘happiness index’ on Monday. Reporting research from the New Economics Foundation the index claimed that, based on quality of life and environmental protection, Indonesians, Chinese and Mexicans are amongst the happiest people in the world. People in countries like the UK and US, contrary to expectations, are well down in the happiness list.

I’m sure if you are living on less than a dollar a day in one of these ‘happy’ countries you may challenge such claims. However they add to the growing body of evidence that maximising income doesn’t actually make us happier. In fact, it could lead to greater unhappiness as we work longer hours to earn more money, to buy more stuff that we barely need and rarely use – at the same time pushing the world towards environmental disaster.

So?

Here we are in the middle of a global economic crisis. We are also facing the greatest threat that humanity has ever conjured up for itself – climate change. Throw in the fact that on the table at the G20 are mind-boggling sums of money that the UK and US (at least) want to spend on kick-starting global consumption, and we have before us an unprecedented opportunity to recast the way we live.

What are our choices?

We can spend all this money on more cut-throat economics and more carbon-loaded consumption.

Or…

We can put it into a green new deal, investing in making the transition to a low carbon economy and the sustainable use of the earth’s natural resources (instead of relentlessly draining them). And, if we also fix the flaws in the global economic system which currently maintains poverty across the world, then we can create new, better jobs and, yes, more happiness.

Amidst all the doom and gloom, this sounds like a pretty exciting possibility to me.

- Ashok Sinha Director of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition

March 26th, 2009 Put People First