NUR-SULTAN: Kazakhstan has retained its positions in the annual Human Development Index (hereinafter referred to as HDI, ed.) And is still included in the category of countries with a very high level of human development, ranking 51st among 189 countries and territories.
Such data are contained in a new report of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which includes a new, experimental index of human progress, which took into account the volume of carbon dioxide emissions and the total resource costs of countries.
The report confronts world leaders with a tough choice: to take decisive action to ease the colossal pressure on the environment and the natural world, or to stall human progress.
“Humanity today has more power over the planet than ever before. With COVID-19, record temperatures and skyrocketing inequality, it’s time to use this power to rethink what progress means for us, where greenhouse gas emissions and resource costs are no longer hidden, ”says UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “As shown in the report, no country in the world has yet reached a very high level of human development without exerting tremendous pressure on the planet. But we could be the first generation to correct this injustice. This is the next frontier of human development, ”he said.
The report argues that at a time when people and the planet are entering a completely new geological era – the Anthropocene or the era of man – it is time for all countries to rethink the movement towards progress, for which it is necessary to fully take into account the dangerous pressure exerted by humanity on the planet. and address the serious imbalance of power and opportunity that impedes change.
To illustrate this point of view, the thirtieth anniversary edition of the Human Development Report, New Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene, presents a new, experimental approach to the compilation of the annual Human Development Index (HDI).
By including in the HDI, which takes into account such indicators as health, education and living standards in the country, two additional elements – the volume of carbon dioxide emissions and the resource consumption of the country – the index shows how the global picture of development would change if, when determining the progress of mankind as key elements considered human well-being and relieving pressure on the planet. Thanks to this HDI, adjusted for the pressure on the planet, a new picture of the world is emerging, which gives a less rosy but clearer assessment of human progress. For example, more than 50 countries are dropping out of the very high development group because of their dependence on fossil fuels and resource consumption. “Kazakhstan has retained its positions in the HDI and is still included in the category of states with a very high level of human development, taking 51st place among 189 countries and territories. –Agencies
