The Happy Planet Index, is a new - launched July 2006 - index from nef - the New Economics Foundation. The Happy Planet Index moves beyond crude ratings of nations according to national income, measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to produce a more accurate picture of the progress of nations based on the amount of the Earth's resources they use, and the length and happiness of people's lives. The Index has been calculated for 178 nations for which data is available. Image:Greensmiley2.jpg