Gland, Switzerland, 11 October, 2001 (IUCN) - Thirty-seven countries are close to striking a good balance between a healthy population and a healthy environment, reports The Wellbeing of Nations, a new analysis of the state of the world launched today in Washington DC. But to truly achieve this balance, even these 37 countries must greatly improve their environmental efforts.
The Wellbeing of Nations is a survey that ranks 180 countries by measuring human development and environmental conservation. The report shows that all countries enjoying high standards of living are placing undue pressure on the environment. The best performing country is Sweden, which earned the survey's top ranking, even though the report considers it an "ecosystem deficit" country: it obtains an advanced standard of living through environmental damage.
Germany ranks 13th, Australia 18th, Japan 24th and the United States 27th. In more than 140 nations, ecosystem stress is higher than human wellbeing - evidence that most people's efforts to improve their lot are inefficient and overexploit the environment.
"The report suggests that a high standard of living is possible without ruining the environment by changing the way that development is pursued," says Achim Steiner, Director General of IUCN - The World Conservation Union. "The report therefore sends a clear message to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg next year. All countries need to recommit themselves to sustainable development and find practical ways to combine human development with the protection of ecosystems".
"The key conditions for combining high human wellbeing and low ecosystem stress are freedom, good governance, and education", says the author of the report, Canadian Robert Prescott-Allen, who also co-wrote the World Conservation Strategy 'Caring for the Earth'.
The Wellbeing of Nations is intended to raise awareness on the necessity of planning and management for human development and ecosystem protection simultaneously. Prescott-Allen says: "Human development is intimately entwined with the sustainable use of nature and its resources. Commitment to human and ecosystem wellbeing should be every nation's goal and to achieve this, regular assessments can help build support, analyse how to achieve it and track progress."
Wellbeing Assessment, the method used in The Wellbeing of Nations, was developed with the support of the IDRC and IUCN - the World Conservation Union. It is unique in giving equal weight to people and the environment, covering a wider scope of human and ecological factors than more traditional yardsticks such as the Gross Domestic Product, the Human Development Index, or the Environmental Sustainability Index.
The measures of human development used in the 'Wellbeing of Nations' include indicators of wealth and education as well as measures on freedom, governance, peace, order, education, communication infrastructure and basic services to give a much better yardstick of human wellbeing. Similarly, measures on the broad themes of land, water, air, biodiversity and resource use are combined to give a much sharper picture of the state of the environment.
Using these measures, the study finds that 4 billion people live in countries with a poor or bad level of human development. Less than one billion people live in countries with a fair or good standard of living. The disparity between the best and worst off is huge. Comparison shows that Sweden is 19 times more efficient in increasing wellbeing than Somalia without increasing the damage to the environment.
The Wellbeing of Nations is published by the International Development Research Centre and Island Press in cooperation with IUCN - The World Conservation Union, International Institute for Environment and Development, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Map Maker Ltd., and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Please consult the backgrounder "The Wellbeing of Nations at a Glance" and the Country Ranking at http://iucn.org/info_and_news/press/wonback.doc.
Presentation of the report
The report will be launched today on 11 October (noon, local time; 5:00 pm GMT) at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C. (US).
To arrange an interview with the author or for more information, contact:
Robert Prescott-Allen
rpa@padata.com
+1.250.474.1904 (Canada)
Nancy MacPherson
IUCN - the World Conservation Union
nancy.macpherson@iucn.org
+41.22.999.0271 (Switzerland)
Web: http://iucn.org
Diane Hardy
IDRC
dhardy@idrc.ca
Tel.: (613) 236-6163, ext. 2570. Fax: (613) 563-2476 (Canada)
Web: http://www.idrc.ca
To obtain a copy of this publication, contact:
The Eurospan Group
3 Henrietta Street
Covent Garden
London WC2E 8LU
England
tel: 20-7240-0856
fax: 20 - 7379 - 0609
email: info@eurospan.co.uk
web: www.eurospan.co.uk
US distributor:
Island Press
Box 7
Covelo
CA 95428
USA
tel: 800-828-1302 (toll free the US)
+1 707-983-6432 (outside continental US)
Price US$25.00
fax: +1 707-983-6414
Email: ipress@igc.apc.org
order on line: www.islandpress.org
IUCN - The World Conservation Union was founded in 1948 and brings together 79 states, 112 government agencies, 760 NGOs, 37 affiliates, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. Its mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. Within the framework of global conventions, IUCN has helped over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity strategies. IUCN has approximately 1000 staff, most of who are located in its 42 regional and country offices while 100 work at its Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.
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