Pretty, J., Barton, J., Bharucha, Z., Bragg, R., Pencheon, D., Wood, C. and Depledge, M.H. 2016. Improving health and wellbeing independently of GDP: dividends of greener and prosoical economies. International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 26 (1), pp. 11-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2015.1007841
| Title | Improving health and wellbeing independently of GDP: dividends of greener and prosoical economies |
|---|---|
| Authors | Pretty, J., Barton, J., Bharucha, Z., Bragg, R., Pencheon, D., Wood, C. and Depledge, M.H. |
| Abstract | 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. |
| Keywords | material consumption |
| green economies | |
| sustainable behaviours | |
| green exercise | |
| health costs | |
| well-being | |
| obesity | |
| mental health | |
| loneliness | |
| physical inactivity | |
| Journal | International Journal of Environmental Health Research |
| Journal citation | 26 (1), pp. 11-36 |
| ISSN | 0960-3123 |
| Year | 2016 |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2015.1007841 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 2016 |
| Published | 11 Feb 2015 |