Classical measurements of prosperity—such as measurements of median wealth or GDP—are presented by woke activists as not meaningful for societal “well-being” or “wellbeing”. Frequently, a more sustainable view of societal well-being is advocated (English term “wellbeing”).
Societal well-being is to be defined independently of economic prosperity. In the so-called Happy Planet Index, life satisfaction, life expectancy, inequality, and ecological footprint are linked for this purpose.493 Consequently, the island state of Vanuatu ranks first, as the people of Vanuatu have a small ecological footprint. However, in the Human Development Index (HDI), which is meant to measure human development as a result of life expectancy, education level, and per capita income, Vanuatu ranks far behind in 140th place.494
From an eco-socialist perspective, economic prosperity in rich countries is to be reduced to a medium level for a life within so-called “planetary boundaries”.
Alleged overconsumption in rich countries is said to pose a problem for “planetary well-being”, as the high incomes result in too high an ecological resource consumption. For societal well-being, therefore, new economic models are needed that do not aim at growth but at so-called sufficiency (renunciation) and degrowth.495
The model of the so-called donut economy wants to market societal wellbeing as a new form of prosperity. Here, the alleged planetary boundaries serve as legitimisation for an anti-growth policy in which social foundations are to be secured at the same time.496 Such models require an economic recession or stagnation for most countries, whereby it is unclear how the social foundations are nevertheless to be secured.497
The United Nations pursues a political approach for a global transformation with its Agenda for Sustainable Development: by 2030, on the one hand, the most important social problems such as hunger or poverty are to be ended, and on the other hand, inequality is to be reduced and the most important ecological problems of the world solved.498 In the 35-page Agenda 2030, the word “sustainable” is mentioned 213 times. The term “freedom” appears only 3 times; “private property” not at all.499
As Goal 3 of 17, health is to be understood more comprehensively: health is now no longer only the absence of disease but also includes societally conditioned well-being.500 To secure the health-related well-being of humanity, the UN with its World Health Organisation (WHO) demands more political control at the global level.501
The well-sounding plans for societal, health-related, or even planetary well-being often presuppose resource scarcities, environmental catastrophes, or other threats from which humanity can only be saved through drastic political interventions (see Sustainability).
Many of these ideas go back to the Club of Rome’s hostility to growth.502 Behind these ecologically justified resource constraints, however, lie refuted neo-Malthusian views.503 Real human well-being is precisely endangered by planned-economy strategies, politically controlled resource scarcity, and arbitrary rule.