Talk by Benjamin D Hennig, held at the IDEA CETL Applied Ethics Research seminar programme, University of Leeds, 14th March 2011. More at http://www.viewsoftheworld.net/?p=1236

1. IDEA CETL Applied Ethics Research seminar
University of Leeds
14th March 2011
Benjamin D. Hennig
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield

2. I. Introduction:
Maps of the planet’s well-being
II. Worldmapper
III. A New Projection for a Human Planet
IV. The Map of (Un)Happy People
V. Conclusion & Outlook:
Better Understanding through Visualisation
The Road to Happiness

3. { I. Introduction:
Maps of the planet’s well-being

4. An Unhappy Planet?
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/03/predicting-revolution-the-index-of-potential-unrest/71743/

5. A Happy Planet?
24 of the richest countries of the world (by GDP per capita) which are home to at least two million people,
they are home to 13% of the world’s population, and almost 50% of world income (GDP)

6. A Rich Planet!
The world resized according to each country’s gross domestic product
Source: modified and updated map from www.worldmapper .org
+ =

7. Source: Prosperity without growth? Sustainable Development Commission (2009)

8. ‚…being ‘happy’ is more than just having
a smile on your face – we use the term
subjective well-being to capture its
complexity. Aside from feeling ‘good’, it
also incorporates a sense of individual
vitality, opportunities to undertake
meaningful, engaging activities which
confer feelings of competence and
autonomy, and the possession of a stock of
inner resources that helps one cope when
things go wrong. Well-being is also about
feelings of relatedness to other people –
both in terms of close relationships with
friends and family, and belonging to a
wider community.‛
(Source: new economics foundation
http://www.happyplanetindex.org/learn/calculating/global.html)
Happiness & Well-being

10. An Unhappy Planet?
= +

11. { II. Worldmapper

12. www.worldmapper.org
Land Area World Population
People killed in Earthquakes Total Wealth (GDP) 2015 Nuclear Weapons

13. { III. A New Projection for a Human Planet

14. Sheep Map of Great Britain: Map of Sheep in England:
http://www.stitchdirect.com/shopWebSite/php/showProducts.php?plu=MW1076 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6919829.stm

16. …mapping people, not sheep

17. EU Population Cartogram

18. World Population Cartogram with Elevation

19. Gridded Population Cartogram vs. Worldmapper Population Cartogram

20. A Human Planet
This is a reprojection of the population distribution, showing where most people are living

21. { IV. The Map of (Un)Happy People

22. (Un)Happy Humanity

23. { V. Conclusion & Outlook:
Better Understanding through Visualisation

25. Voter’s Well-being:
Few agree with Nick

26. Myanmar / Burma Population Cartogram with Elevation Bangladesh Population Cartogram with Elevation
People’s Environments:
Vulnerable Coasts
Elevation [m]

27. GDP Density

28. The Real Shape of Economic Activity

29. Economic Activity

30. One World – Many Planets
The map shows the ecological footprint (EF), a measure of the resources used per head in each country. A EF of 2.1 global hectares
per capita equals one-planet living on the basis that everyone is entitled to the same amount of the planet’s natural resources.
Data Source: New Economics Foundation, Happy Planet Index

31. One Planet – Many People
When we draw the same map upon the world population cartogram it may not initially appear to be so bad.
The countries that consume too much contain fewer people, so not such a problem?
However...This map is still misleading – we need to reproject the basemap again for a fair picture

32. Few People – Many Planets
If we reproject the globe again so that the area of each grid cell is drawn in proportion to the ecological impact of the people who live
in that area, then we see that most of the damage is being caused by the rich world and more of that (per capita) by the most unequal
countries of the rich world (which China services).

33. Watch all slides of this talk again and see many other maps: www.viewsoftheworld.net
Who is happy here?
People having no light at night,
or those who can afford to waste
- and shine so much up into space?