We Need a New Way to Measure Human Progress
Development rankings favor countries that use more carbon and deplete more resources. To prevent global warming, that has to change.
Current measures don’t account for things like melting glaciers.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images
At International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington this week, there will be much debate about slowing global growth, the impact of the U.S.-China trade war, the role of central banks in preventing a global recession, the risk of disruption to oil markets and much more. What you won’t hear, beyond a few platitudes, is a detailed plan for combating climate change and slowing the depletion of the earth’s resources.
This pattern of neglect won’t change unless we do a much better job of linking the climate to economic progress. That in turn will require changing the way we measure development.