Well-being depends on a person’s opportunity to achieve valuable activities and states, such as personal safety, education, meaningful work, a healthy body, and strong personal relationships.
Access to safe, affordable, and clean energy is a foundation of well-being because it provides illumination, thermal comfort, mobility, secure nutrition, and communication.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of education to human well-being. Education is central to meaningful work, higher incomes, good health, a productive economy, more equitable life opportunities, and a vibrant civil society.The World Bank has more than 30 indicators related to education, and the United Nations System Development
In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly canonized the human right to water and sanitation through a resolution recognizing “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.”1 That declaration stems from
Weatherization is the process of protecting a home or building from the outside elements. Often this means insulating the home to reduce the effect of extremely hot or cold outdoor temperatures on indoor spaces. Weatherization includes air sealing, plumbing, recessed lighting, replacing doors, windows and insulation in walls, and the
A dramatic, overall improvement in food security is one of the great success stories in human history. Especially since the Green Revolution of the mid-twentieth century, both the quantity and quality of calories supplied improved people’s day-to-day health, lengthened life spans, and boosted nearly every other aspect of well-being. Yet
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the dollar value of the final goods and services produced in a country. Changes in GDP are the most widely used indicator of a country’s overall economic health. There four components of GDP: Data Metadata PNG Dividing a country’s GDP by its population is a
Life expectancy is an important gauge of human well-being. It is an indicator of Sustainable Development Goal #3 to “ensure healthy lies and promote well-being for all at all ages,” and a key element of the Human Development Index. In ancient Greek and Roman times life expectancy at birth was
For millennia, the human population grew very slowly, probably about 0.04 percent per year through the eighteenth century. Population growth accelerated in the nineteenth century due to advances in health care, nutrition, and public sanitation. By 1800, the population was about 1 billion people. The rate of population growth rapidly
In another article, I explored the relationship between per capita energy use and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, the latter being the most common metric of material well-being. Here I use another measure called Gross National Income (GNI) which calculates income instead of output. Gross national income is defined as
Throughout much of human history, poverty was often defined as inadequate income to buy a minimum amount of goods and services. For example, the World Bank defines the extreme poverty line as earning less than $2.15 per person per day.1 But poverty is also understood more broadly as insufficient basic capabilities
When you hear the word “prosperity” what comes to mind? Most dictionaries define it as a state of success and good fortune, especially in terms of income, wealth, and the consumption of material goods. A prosperous economy is synonymous with a growing GDP, rising levels of GDP per capita, and
Studies show those living in countries with high levels of life satisfaction tend to use more energy per capita, with small increases in energy-producing big jumps in life satisfaction.
In 1990 the United Nations Development Programme published its first version of the Human Development Index (HDI) to provide a measure that distinguishes economic growth (GDP/year) and affluence (GDP per capita) from overall well-being. The HDI focuses on three important goals of development: access to health, education, and goods. Specifically,
It is difficult to overstate the importance of education to human well-being. Education is central to meaningful work, higher incomes, good health, a productive economy, more equitable life opportunities, and a vibrant civil society.The World Bank has more than 30 indicators related to education, and the United Nations System Development
In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly canonized the human right to water and sanitation through a resolution recognizing “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.”1 That declaration stems from
Weatherization is the process of protecting a home or building from the outside elements. Often this means insulating the home to reduce the effect of extremely hot or cold outdoor temperatures on indoor spaces. Weatherization includes air sealing, plumbing, recessed lighting, replacing doors, windows and insulation in walls, and the
A dramatic, overall improvement in food security is one of the great success stories in human history. Especially since the Green Revolution of the mid-twentieth century, both the quantity and quality of calories supplied improved people’s day-to-day health, lengthened life spans, and boosted nearly every other aspect of well-being. Yet
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures the dollar value of the final goods and services produced in a country. Changes in GDP are the most widely used indicator of a country’s overall economic health. There four components of GDP: Data Metadata PNG Dividing a country’s GDP by its population is a
Life expectancy is an important gauge of human well-being. It is an indicator of Sustainable Development Goal #3 to “ensure healthy lies and promote well-being for all at all ages,” and a key element of the Human Development Index. In ancient Greek and Roman times life expectancy at birth was
For millennia, the human population grew very slowly, probably about 0.04 percent per year through the eighteenth century. Population growth accelerated in the nineteenth century due to advances in health care, nutrition, and public sanitation. By 1800, the population was about 1 billion people. The rate of population growth rapidly
In another article, I explored the relationship between per capita energy use and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, the latter being the most common metric of material well-being. Here I use another measure called Gross National Income (GNI) which calculates income instead of output. Gross national income is defined as
Throughout much of human history, poverty was often defined as inadequate income to buy a minimum amount of goods and services. For example, the World Bank defines the extreme poverty line as earning less than $2.15 per person per day.1 But poverty is also understood more broadly as insufficient basic capabilities
When you hear the word “prosperity” what comes to mind? Most dictionaries define it as a state of success and good fortune, especially in terms of income, wealth, and the consumption of material goods. A prosperous economy is synonymous with a growing GDP, rising levels of GDP per capita, and
Studies show those living in countries with high levels of life satisfaction tend to use more energy per capita, with small increases in energy-producing big jumps in life satisfaction.
In 1990 the United Nations Development Programme published its first version of the Human Development Index (HDI) to provide a measure that distinguishes economic growth (GDP/year) and affluence (GDP per capita) from overall well-being. The HDI focuses on three important goals of development: access to health, education, and goods. Specifically,
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