Singapore- a country that looks good economically- has been listed as the unhealthiest nation in a new economic and environmental index that includes 152 countries around the world.
A growing world population, mixed with the threat of climate change and mounting financial problems, has prompted University of British Columbia researchers to measure the overall 'health' of 152 countries around the world.
''Pilling up ecological deficits is just as concerning as pilling up financial deficits- both have consequences for future generations,'' said Rashid Sumaila, director of the UBC Fisheries Centre.Using Data collected between 1997 and 200, researchers from the UBC Fisheries Centre and the Global Footprint Network created what they call Eco2Index.
Economic figures for the Eco2Index came from the Wold Bank and take into account financial deficits, national debt and gross domestic product. Ecological figures come from the Global Footprint Network and measure resource consumption and waste produced by country in comparison to its carrying capacity as expressed in locally available resources such as agriculture land and energy.
Spurred by the desire for higher short-term consumption, low and middle-east countries are following the lead of high-income nations, liquidating their ecological and economic capital. Sumaila says,''Our actions today may have even greater consequences later on. It is concerning that both our financial and our ecological security are deteriorating."
"the Eco2Index should help countries in planning for the future- they can use this information to identify what they need to work on, whether that's financial or ecological productivity," added Sumaila. Sumaila's work was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the advancement of Science(AAAS).
- Summarized by Risshi Jain and Rohit Gupta
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