What if economic policies recognized that preserving the environment was more important than obtaining fossil fuels?
Ecuador’s President Correa has announced that he will not drill for oil in Yasuni National Park. The decision marks the first time an oil-producing country has formally chosen to forgo oil exploration and shift its economy from oil dependency to more sustainable alternatives that protect ecosystems and Indigenous rights while averting more global carbon emissions. 5. What if governments valued people’s happiness over economic growth? The government of Bhutan has replaced the singular, narrow standard of Gross Domestic Product with a measure it calls Gross National Happiness. Bhutan is not a utopia, but it has made remarkable progress in building its economy while preserving the environment, limiting corruption, and supporting education and healthcare. Life expectancy in Bhutan has risen by 19 years since the “happiness index” was established in 1972. 6. What if genuine democracy — the precondition for policies that benefit people over profits — were to flourish? In the past eight yea
