[font face=Times,Times New Roman,Serif]Media Release | Feb. 20, 2012
[font size=5]Taking the Earths pulse: UBC scientists unveil a new economic and environmental index[/font]
[font size=3]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 150 countries around the world.
Encompassing both economic and ecological security, high-income countries were ranked among the least healthy overall. Many countries in South America performed well, offering future generations better financial, food, water, and energy security.
The top five performing countries are Bolivia, Angola, Namibia, Paraguay, and Argentina, while the bottom five performers are Jordan, the Republic of Korea, Israel, Kuwait, and Singapore.
We hear that countries are suffering financially every day in the news, says Rashid Sumaila, director of the
UBC Fisheries Centre, but that only tells half the story. Piling up ecological deficits is just as concerning as piling up financial deficits both have consequences for future generations.
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