Australia is #2, US#4, UK#28, Argentina#45, Saudi Arabia#56, Serbia#59, Russia #66, Bosnia #74, Turkey#94 and Congo(DRC) last at #187 -(See all Rankings Below). UN “Human Development Report” emphasizes that environmental deterioration threatens to reverse recent progress in human development for the world’s poorest. It calls for urgent action to slow climate change, prevent further degradation and reduce inequalities. The annual UN Human Development Report, this year entitled Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All, argues that human development is intricately linked to environmental sustainability, and that this in turn must be approached as a matter of basic social justice for current and future generations. More than Environmental Consideration: “Sustainability is not exclusively or even primarily an environmental issue, as this report so persuasively argues,” UN Development Programme (UNDP) chief Helen Clark states in the Report’s foreword. Investments that improve equity – in access, for example, to renewable energy, water and sanitation, and reproductive health care – could advance both sustainability and human development. “It is fundamentally about how we choose to live our lives, with an awareness that everything we do has consequences for the seven billions of us here today, as well as for the billions more who will follow, for centuries to come.” Progress by Poorest Countries on HDI (Human Development Index”: Report notes remarkable progress made by poor countries with low rankings on the Human Development Index (HDI). In the past 40 years alone, the countries placed in the lowest 25 per cent of the global rankings improved their overall HDI by 82 per cent. If this pace of improvement continues, most countries would be able to enjoy the HDI of the top 25 per cent by the year 2050, which would represent an extraordinary achievement for global human development. However, the report also warns that if left unchecked, environmental degradation could reverse this growth trend, requiring immediate action from governments to prevent this from happening. Food & Water Also Major Concerns: The report paints a scenario in which food prices could soar by up to 50 per cent and efforts to expand water, sanitation and energy access to billions of people could be reversed, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa if countries fail to take measures to achieve sustainability. Report notes that people in the poorest countries are most vulnerable to climate-driven disasters such as drought and flooding, as well as exposure to air and water pollution. It adds that it is not only environmental disasters, but general environment deterioration which threatens other factors crucial to human development. “Half of all malnutrition worldwide is attributable to environmental factors, such as water pollution and drought-driven scarcity, perpetuating a vicious cycle of impoverishment and ecological damage.” Growth, Development & Wealth Independent of Carbon Based Energy: Report also stresses that growth and high living standards need not be tied to carbon-fuel activities, and presents evidence that fossil-fuel consumption does not correspond with other measures of human development such as life expectancy and education, making it possible for countries to experience growth while at the same time reducing their carbon footprint. According to Helen Clark of UNDP: “Growth driven by fossil fuel consumption is not a prerequisite for a better life in broader human development terms. Investments that improve equity – in access, for example, to renewable energy, water and sanitation, and reproductive health care – could advance both sustainability and human development.” 2011 Rank -Human Development Index (HDI): The HDI rankings featured below are published in the Human Development Report 2011, "Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All". Very High Human Development 1. Norway 2. Australia 3. Netherlands 4. United States 5. New Zealand 6. Canada 7. Ireland 8. Liechtenstein 9. Germany 10. Sweden 11. Switzerland 12. Japan 13. Hong Kong, China (SAR) 14. Iceland 15. Korea (Republic of) 16. Denmark 17. Israel 18. Belgium 19. Austria 20. France 21. Slovenia 22. Finland 23. Spain 24. Italy 25. Luxembourg 26. Singapore 27. Czech Republic 28. United Kingdom 29. Greece 30. United Arab Emirates 31. Cyprus 32. Andorra 33. Brunei Darussalam 34. Estonia 35. Slovakia 36. Malta 37. Qatar 38. Hungary 39. Poland 40. Lithuania 41. Portugal 42. Bahrain 43. Latvia 44. Chile 45. Argentina 46. Croatia 47. Barbados High Human Development 48. Uruguay 49. Palau 50. Romania 51. Cuba 52. Seychelles 53. Bahamas 54. Montenegro 55. Bulgaria 56. Saudi Arabia 57. Mexico 58. Panama 59. Serbia 60. Antigua and Barbuda 61. Malaysia 62. Trinidad and Tobago 63. Kuwait 64. Libya 65. Belarus 66. Russian Federation 67. Grenada 68. Kazakhstan 69. Costa Rica 70. Albania 71. Lebanon 72. Saint Kitts and Nevis 73. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 74. Bosnia and Herzegovina 75. Georgia 76. Ukraine 77. Mauritius 78. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 79. Jamaica 80. Peru 81. Dominica 82. Saint Lucia 83. Ecuador 84. Brazil 85. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 86. Armenia 87. Colombia 88. Iran (Islamic Republic of) 89. Oman 90. Tonga 91. Azerbaijan 92. Turkey 93. Belize 94. Tunisia Medium Human Development 95. Jordan 96. Algeria 97. Sri Lanka 98. Dominican Republic 99. Samoa 100. Fiji 101. China 102. Turkmenistan 103. Thailand 104. Suriname 105. El Salvador 106. Gabon 107. Paraguay 108. Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 109. Maldives 110. Mongolia 111. Moldova (Republic of) 112. Philippines 113. Egypt 114. Occupied Palestinian Territory 115. Uzbekistan 116. Micronesia (Federated States of) 117. Guyana 118. Botswana 119. Syrian Arab Republic 120. Namibia 121. Honduras 122. Kiribati 123. South Africa 124. Indonesia 125. Vanuatu 126. Kyrgyzstan 127. Tajikistan 128. Viet Nam 129. Nicaragua 130. Morocco 131. Guatemala 132. Iraq 133. Cape Verde 134. India 135. Ghana 136. Equatorial Guinea 137. Congo 138. Lao People's Democratic Republic 139. Cambodia 140. Swaziland 141. Bhutan Low Human Development 142. Solomon Islands 143. Kenya 144. São Tomé and Príncipe 145. Pakistan 146. Bangladesh 147. Timor-Leste 148. Angola 149. Myanmar 150. Cameroon 151. Madagascar 152. Tanzania (United Republic of) 153. Papua New Guinea 154. Yemen 155. Senegal 156. Nigeria 157. Nepal 158. Haiti 159. Mauritania 160. Lesotho 161. Uganda 162. Togo 163. Comoros 164. Zambia 165. Djibouti 166. Rwanda 167. Benin 168. Gambia 169. Sudan 170. Côte d'Ivoire 171. Malawi 172. Afghanistan 173. Zimbabwe 174. Ethiopia 175. Mali 176. Guinea-Bissau 177. Eritrea 178. Guinea 179. Central African Republic 180. Sierra Leone 181. Burkina Faso 182. Liberia 183. Chad 184. Mozambique 185. Burundi 186. Niger 187. Congo (Democratic Republic of the) By Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey Facebook – Become a Fan at “Diplomatically Incorrect”

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