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Improving health and well-being independently of GDP: dividends of greener and prosocial economies [1]

Increases in gross domestic product (GDP) beyond a threshold of basic needs do not lead to further increases in well-being. An explanation is that material consumption (MC) also results in negative health externalities. We assess how these externalities influence six factors critical for well-being: (i) healthy food; (ii) active body; (iii) healthy mind; (iv) community links; (v) contact with nature; and (vi) attachment to possessions. If environmentally sustainable consumption (ESC) were increasingly substituted for MC, thus improving well-being and stocks of natural and social capital, and sustainable behaviours involving non-material consumption (SBs-NMC) became more prevalent, then well-being would increase regardless of levels of GDP. In the UK, the individualised annual health costs of negative consumption externalities (NCEs) currently amount to £62 billion for the National Health Service, and £184 billion for the economy (for mental ill-health, dementia, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, loneliness and cardiovascular disease). A dividend is available if substitution by ESC and SBs-NMC could limit the prevalence of these conditions.

Publication Date: 
11/02/2015
Jules Pretty [2], Jo Barton [3], Zareen Pervez Bharucha & et al [4]
International Journal of Environmental Health Research [5]
1-26
Tags:
Economy [6], Health [7], Lifestyles [8], Consumption Patterns [9], Health Effects [10], United Kingdom (UK) [11], Non Communicable Diseases [12], Obesity [13], Heart Diseases [14], Cancer [15], Mental Health [16]

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Source URL: http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/improving-health-and-well-being-independently-gdp-dividends-greener-and-prosocial

Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/improving-health-and-well-being-independently-gdp-dividends-greener-and-prosocial
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/jules-pretty
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/jo-barton
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/zareen-pervez-bharucha-et-al
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/international-journal-environmental-health-research
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/economy
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/health
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/lifestyles
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/consumption-patterns
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/health-effects
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/united-kingdom-uk
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/non-communicable-diseases
[13] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/obesity
[14] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/heart-diseases
[15] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/cancer
[16] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/mental-health