Costa Rica - Happiest Place

Disneyworld claims it is the “happiest place on earth,” but according to Happy Planet Index, this isn’t all true. This Index measures life expectancy, life satisfaction, and the ecological footprint of the country. Out of the 143 countries rated, Costa Rica came out on top.
The Index asked three questions:
1. What is a country’s life expectancy (premise: it is better to live longer than die young)?
2. How satisfied are a country’s people with the quality of their life (premise: living longer but miserably is not very satisfying)?
3. What is the cost to the planet (premise: sustainable development is better than exhausting resources)?
The assumption is that the most developed and richest countries are the happiest and most content, but with the United Kingdom at 74th place and the United States at 114th, this isn’t the case. When you compare Costa Rica to the United States, this country’s people live longer, have higher levels of life satisfaction, and have a very small carbon footprint.
When it comes to sustainable development, Costa Rica does not depend on resources, like oil, for power. In fact, 99% of its energy is renewable and sustainable. While other countries are simply discussing the problems associated with global warming, Costa Rica has been taking action. While deforestation continues to be a problem for most of the world, Costa Rica has 20% more forested areas than it did 20 years ago. Despite the presence of oil deposits off its shores, Costa Rica refuses to allow drilling. It is also the first, and so far, only country that has committed to being completely carbon neutral by 2021. While the per capita income of this country is only a fraction of United States’, it is certainly a country that we should emulate.