GAR 2015 Main Report

249

Similar inflection points can be observed with respect to social progress (Porter et al., 2014

Porter, Michael E., Scott Stern and Michael Green. 2014,Social Progress Index 2014, Social Progress Imperative. Washington, D.C.. .

), life expectancy (Jackson, 2009

Jackson, Tim. 2009,Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet, London, UK and Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publishing.. .

) and perceptions of well-being or happiness. As with energy consumption and human development, the relationship between economic growth and social progress changes as income rises (Figure 13.2). At lower income levels, small increases in GDP are associated with large increases in social progress. However, as countries reach high levels of income, the quick wins in social progress arising from economic development are exhausted. For example, Costa Rica, an upper middle-income country with a GDP per capita of US$11,165, has achieved a level of social progress higher than Italy (GDP per capita: US$26,310).

Both of these examples highlight that achieving human development and social progress is not dependent on continuous economic growth and increasing energy consumption. In other words, sustainable development is possible.

There is now increasing momentum to transform development practices, many of which directly address the underlying risk drivers and contribute to reduced disaster risk. For example, reducing energy consumption and moving to renewable energy reduces the risk of catastrophic climate change; protecting and restoring regulatory ecosystems can reduce weather-related hazard; and climate-smart agriculture can enhance food security. All three previous editions of the GAR have consistently identified and highlighted such practices with co-benefits for disaster risk reduction. These practices range from green roofs and ecosystem approaches to flood management, to innovative approaches to social protection and participatory approaches to urban development. While currently still seeds, these incipient practices do show how new approaches to development transformation are addressing the underlying risk drivers and reducing risks.

Figure 13.1 The non-linear relationship between human development and energy consumption

(Source: Costa et al., 2011

Costa, Luís, Diego Rybski and Jürgen P. Kropp. 2011,A Human Development Framework for CO2 Reductions, Potsdam: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.. .

	249 Similar inflection points can be observed with respect to social progress (Porter et al., 2014 x Porter, Michael E., Scott Stern and Michael Green. 2014,Social Progress Index 2014, Social Progress Imperative. Washington, D.C.. . ), life expectancy (Jackson, 2009 x Jackson, Tim. 2009,Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet, London, UK and Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publishing.. . ) and perceptions of well-being or happiness. As with energy consumption and human development, the relationship between economic growth and social progress changes as income rises (Figure 13.2). At lower income levels, small increases in GDP are associated with large increases in social progress. However, as countries reach high levels of income, the quick wins in social progress arising from economic development are exhausted. For example, Costa Rica, an upper middle-income country with a GDP per capita of US$11,165, has achieved a level of social progress higher than Italy (GDP per capita: US$26,310). Both of these examples highlight that achieving human development and social progress is not dependent on continuous economic growth and increasing energy consumption. In other words, sustainable development is possible. There is now increasing momentum to transform development practices, many of which directly address the underlying risk drivers and contribute to reduced disaster risk. For example, reducing energy consumption and moving to renewable energy reduces the risk of catastrophic climate change; protecting and restoring regulatory ecosystems can reduce weather-related hazard; and climate-smart agriculture can enhance food security. All three previous editions of the GAR have consistently identified and highlighted such practices with co-benefits for disaster risk reduction. These practices range from green roofs and ecosystem approaches to flood management, to innovative approaches to social protection and participatory approaches to urban development. While currently still seeds, these incipient practices do show how new approaches to development transformation are addressing the underlying risk drivers and reducing risks. Figure 13.1 The non-linear relationship between human development and energy consumption (Source: Costa et al., 2011 x Costa, Luís, Diego Rybski and Jürgen P. Kropp. 2011,A Human Development Framework for CO2 Reductions, Potsdam: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.. . .)	Page 1 Page 10 Page 20 Page 30 Page 40 Page 50 Page 60 Page 70 Page 80 Page 90 Page 100 Page 110 Page 120 Page 130 Page 140 Page 150 Page 160 Page 170 Page 180 Page 190 Page 200 Page 210 Page 220 Page 230 Page 239 Page 240 Page 241 Page 242 Page 243 Page 244 Page 245 Page 246 Page 247 Page 248 Page 249 Page 250 ->Page 251 Page 252 Page 253 Page 254 Page 255 Page 256 Page 257 Page 258 Page 259 Page 260 Page 261 Page 262 Page 263 Page 270 Page 280 Page 290 Page 300 Page 310