No, I thought not, but the HPI (Happy Planet Index) is getting some attention from those who govern us. It is typical of what passes for science these days; a lot of guesswork fed into a computer with the results treated as if they were something important. Judge for yourself if you have the time by clicking on this link. Apparently Burma comes out much higher up than the UK or USA, so make of that what you will!
Then there's the SDC (Sustainable Development Commission). These people are advisors to the UK government. If you have time to go through a 136 page report there is a wealth of arguments against the present capitalist society with its imperative for growth. Let's be honest, the present system is not perfect and listing its defects is easy to do, but when it comes to practical alternatives they seem to be relying on massive state intervention and controls to create an "equal society" in which many things are rationed. Running right through it is the assumption that carbon must be severely reduced and rationed.
Some might think that these organisations are looking at what used to be called "communism" and dressing it up in a new wrapper.
Yup
ReplyDeleteBunch of lefty talking heads troughing on the public purse.
Unsurprisingly the head honcho is an ex BBC hack:-
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/presslist.php/99/prime-minister-gordon-brown-appoints-will-day-as-chair-of-sustainable-development-commission
Spout a lot of undergraduate pseudo-Marxist claptrap about "Prosperity without growth" - then off for a five star lunch on the long suffering taxpayer "Doubles all round!".
Sometimes I understand why Mao drove the bureaucrats out of their offices and put 'em to work in the mines & paddyfields.