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THE QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX FOR MEASURING OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Transition to sustainable development

The past fourthly years ago has seen me deeply involved with the question of sustainability. The words «Sustainable Development(SD)» appear more frequently in mass media, the reports of different international organisations and in public conversations. The meaning are sometimes different. However it is obvious that the mass subconscious shapes a new vision of the world. In the Brundtland report, sustainability is defined, in the narrowest sense of the word, as making sure that we leave enough resources for the next generation. This is enough interesting remark that sustainable is not general state in modern industry. We can speak about sustainability with regard to information systems, clean production, agriculture, transportation and energy systems. Another side of the problem of sustainability regard to processes of extraction of mineral resources, in general concerns the mining industrial.

Please, note that heavy industrial and mining regions have experienced irreversible transformations of nature. The result of this is the anthropogen ecosystem; that is, the irreversible transfer of the environment from natural to an anthrpogenous state. These changes include: the relief, the hydrosphere, entrails of the earth, the atmospheric conditions, gravitational and electromagnetic fields, and the geochemistry of both surface and underground soils. both surface and underground soils. Of course, the flora and fauna are changed in these regions. Returning all these parameters to their natural state is practically impossible. Perhaps, the Netherlands is the best example. Modern urban agglomerates such as New York, Tokyo, and Moscow may also demonstrate this situation. Regions of long-time intensive extraction and processing of mineral fossils (Ruhr, Silezia, Kryvyi Rih Basin, Donetsk Basin, etc.) also fall into this category.

Irreversible changes -- in environment is a result of non-renewable depletion or transformation of one or more resources in the nature of the region[1]. This is result of development of a technological civilisation. In other words it is general product evolution of an industry society. The amount of irreversible changing in the environment every year is about the same as the productivity of our biosphere every year. Strong arguments to support this teases are found in the article of R. Costanza, R. d’Arge, R.de Groot and other. This authors show, that the biosphere has a limit of natural capital stocks. The is estimate to be in the range of US$ 16-54 trillion per year. Global gross national product total is around US$18 trillion per year [2]. The works of the «Roman Club» members (J.Meddous, J Forrester, A.Pechey and other) also N.N.Moiseev (Russia) show clearly that a human being as a biological entity is reaching its development limits within the biosphere [3,4,5].

So, it is possible observe transition from industry society (the open world of growth and progress) to post-industrial society (Sustainable Development in the world with limits of nature resources). This processes is like irreversible transfer of the environment from natural to an anthrpogenous state.

The gross national product (GNP)

GNP is single, real index using for measuring and comparing the state of economy. In fact, economic driving force is one of the main force in industrial society. That is why, the single most widely used indicator is GNP. A measure of the total output of goods and services in an economy, the GNP is the basis for a lot of countries. The experience of using the GNP index shows some failings in its ability to assess long - term progress. One of the greatest failing in using this index is the problem of accurately estimating of environmental damage. Unfortunately, GNP increase as extensive extracting of nature resources increases. The GNP increase is accompanied by environment degradation, decrease in the average life span and deterioration of overall health of the population. Moreover, the growth of GNP sometime is a sign of future non-stable development. For example growth of GNP at the expense of mineral and other natural resources of countries. The trend today in post-industrial countries is to make things less labour intensive and more capital –intensive also GNP continues to grow. In both cases growth of GNP is leads to non-sustainable future. Hopefully, this statement correlates positively with the conclusion reached by "Roman Club" with regard to limits growth of technological civilisation. As regards global environmental crises, long-time growth of GNP without limits today causes a decrease in the future quality of life.

It is necessary to recognise, GNP was one of the better economic indicators of industry society. The short comings of GNP, mention above, only reflects the processes of transition currently taking place, that is, from an open world of growth and progress to sustainable development world. So, post-industry society needs a new index, one which reflects a new reality and the priorities of this society.

Non-costs indicators

Now, the efficiency of a technology is assessed by the following: least-costs option, maximum surplus value per resource unit, increase in production at the same expense, increase in labour productivity; or by other options of the mentioned criteria.

The traditional criterion and techniques of economy, so as GNP, clear benefit, also level of damage to Nature, cost of prevented damage, efficiency of using resources and others do not take into account Human Rights and Health of a man. A growing realisation of the failings of the conventional clear economic indicators, such as GNP and income as the primary indicators of economic progress has led to the development of alternative indicators. It is a appropriate to use for this purpose the well known social indexes which were fruitfully elaborated by R.Bauer, V.Brundtland, W.Nordhouse, and Toffler lay special emphasis on the conditions of the individual. That is why D.Toybin and W.Nordhouse evaluated people's lives in big cities with the index measure of economic welfare (MEW)[6]. The Index Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) is a comprehensive step to a new kind of index of Sustainable Development measurement. The ISEW takes into account not only consumption, but also damage of nature and processes of GNP distribution. This index had some usage in USA in 1970-1990 years. "Applying this comprehensive measure shows a rise in welfare per person in the USA of 42% in period from 1950 to 1976. But after that the ISEW began to decline, failing by just over 12 % by 1988, the last year for which it was calculated. Simply put, about 15 years ago the net benefits associated with economic growth in USA fell bellow the growth of population, leading to a decline in individual welfare"[6].

Very interesting recent efforts are the Human Development Index (HDI) used by UNDP[7]. This index, measures on a scale from 0 to 1. It an aggregate of three indicators:
* Knowledge (adult literacy and mean years of schooling);
* Long life of a man (life expectancy at birth);
* Command over resources (gross domestic product per person after adjusting for purchasing power);

Quality of life indicator

Now, in the process of transformation, the society has been doubly impacted by the continued high level of consumption and the limits of natural resources. In this conditions we recognize that the quality of life includes both material objects and non-material values. In other words we must see boundary between market and non-market objects. The list of environmental qualities, spiritual and moral values related to the quality of life has never been estimated in monetary terms. This is the problem of the realisation of Human Rights. Market space limits are fixed by a complex of value estimations of investment effectiveness. Besides traditional economic techniques such as: GNP the economic damage to the environment and effective usage of natural resources should be included in the complex. This cuts investment risks. It is very important to note that the economic estimate of damage and the usage of resources in the complex have their limits. As these limits reached or neared manager need to take into account non-cost indicators, such as MEW, ISEW, IHD and other.

Nowadays managers, faced with deciding to direct funds toward environmental protection and restoration, use only economic methods of evaluation in making their decision. However, in an area in which irreversible changes have occurred, economic methods are not always effective. Using traditional indicators to evaluate the losses from the deterioration of the landscape, extinction of biological species, or the irreversible tearing away of agricultural lands for urban construction, industrial building sites etc is meaningless. In our megalopolises no nature has remained intact in the ecological system. People live in the man-made environment comprising only a few natural islets (anthropogen ecosystem). From the given isolated instances it follows that the process of development of industrial and, here and there post-industrial society, which have taken place in industrial megalopolises and industrial regions (anthropogenic ecosystems), has resulted in a change of priorities. Transition from economic needs of society to personal, environmental and psychological needs is taking place. In other words, it is possible to observe the evolution of priorities from society of consumption to a society of personal values. In fact it is possible to discuss new quality of life in sustainable development community. It is necessary to reflect this realities in the index of measure, SD. In these conditions the processes of measurement of SD should take into account in addition to traditional economic indicators and non-costs indicators, indicators which reflected new quality of life. What should be included in the indicator of quality of life (QL), which could be an estimate of the processes of SD?

Hopefully it is clear that the Quality of Life is not an equal economical indicator of the "Standard of Life" or the "Level of Life". A manager has some choices at his disposal for making decision. Many of us believe, that sustainable development is the process of limiting and optimising consumption of nature's resources. Another position, is that a future society will take the next step of the evolution. It will be possible after the transition of the society from a civilisation of consumption of natural resources to contemplate this problem. In this case we must change our main question: "How?» The new question will be: "For what?" Therefore, it is possible speak about biological and social comfort of man. Of course, in this case the decisions taken by the manager while protecting the population of the region should not damage the outskirts where the Nature still exists. Any ecological decision must contain rigid axiomatic restrictions: Comfort of the population of the anthropogenic ecosystem should not damage the Environment!

When speak about only social comfort in anthropogen ecosystem, we must recognise social indicators are the best measuring instruments. Social indexes which were fruitfully elaborated by R.Bauer, V.Brundtland, W.Nordhouse, Toffler lay special emphasis on the conditions of realisation of a personality. Dr.Vlavianos-Arvanitis has very good idea, that new indicators for these purposes must connect profit with level of pollution, education, health of people, happiness, wealth. Using these indicators, the Quality of Life becomes the focus of sustainable development problem[8]. My position is support of this opinion. How we can define both the biological and the social comfort? That is useful discuss:

The biological comfort first of all is a fact of existing of a man. Long existing is more preferable, than short life. Also, biological comfort included health of a men. So, biological comfort is better in conditions in which people have a better chance of long life and good health. An expectation of human life (Tl) is closely connected with the state of environment, quality of water, atmospheric air, and food. Duration of human life in the QL criterion reflects the human harmony with environment.

The social comfort is a result of harmony between people and society. It ocurs when people have no problems with health and have full realisation of self, that is, they achieve their natures rights. A "space" of social comfort is free time of a man. Free time (Tf)is time not spent on work, social activity, and illness, and time needed to meet physiological necessities. Free time may be spent for the purpose of self-realisation or spiritual development of people. In American vernicular, this is "my time, my space".

As distinct from the system of indices of Brandtland and Nordhaus, we propose the integral index of quality of life (QL)