Sign up to E-News
Ethical ranking for Euro 2008 teams:
who should I cheer for?
02 June 2008
With no British team qualifying for Euro 2008, many football fans are asking: who should I cheer for? The World Development Movement has developed an ethical ranking website that may help football fans to answer just that question.
At www.whoshouldicheerfor.com globally conscious football fans can find out how well each country performs on a range of ethical indicators. So if you want to find out which country is doing the most to protect the environment or which spends the most on aid or the military, www.whoshouldicheerfor.com could be just the website you’re looking for.
The criteria include aid spending, carbon emissions, military spending and corruption. According to the indicators, Sweden is the most supportable country with Russia coming in last place. England’s ranking, if they had qualified, would have been second to last.
Tim Jones, Policy Officer at the World Development Movement said:
“This website is for people who love football and want to know more about the world we live in, it’s a fun way of talking about some serious issues. Millions of people in the UK participated in Live Earth and Make Poverty History, now they can check which country is doing the most to tackle climate change or which is the best aid giver.
“For example, if France and Switzerland are playing, and people are interested in climate change, they can quickly find out which country is investing the most in renewables or which country has the highest CO2 emissions.
“Our supportability ranking is not an overall ranking of how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ we think each country is. It is intended to be a fun and interesting way to think about some serious issues.”
For more information contact:
Kate Blagojevic
Press officer, World Development Movement
0207 820 4900/4913, 07711 875 345, Email:
Notes to Editors
- Supportability Criteria information: whoshouldicheerfor23052008.pdf
- Carbon dioxide emissions
Climate change is a horrendous injustice. The rich are primarily responsible for global warming but the poor will suffer the most. The Netherlands create the highest amount of carbon dioxide of countries in the European Championships, emitting a huge 16 tonnes per person. Turkey, Romania and Croatia emit the least with 3-to-4 tonnes per person. In contrast, India emits 1 tonne per person and Bangladesh 0.3 tonnes. The UK emits 10 tonnes per person. To learn more about climate change go to: http://www.wdm.org.uk/campaigns/climate/index.htm
Data source: US Energy Information Administration - Aid spending
In 1970, the world’s richest nations committed themselves to spending 0.7 per cent of their national income on international aid each year in order to fight global poverty. Few have ever done so (the highest the UK ever got was 0.51 per cent in 1979). We applaud Sweden and the Netherlands as the two nations in Euro 2008 spending more than 0.7 per cent in aid. However, the Czech Republic, Greece and Italy all spend less than 0.2 per cent.
Despite the rhetoric from the Labour government, the UK gives less in aid than most European countries; just 0.36 per cent of income.
Obviously the poorest European countries do not give aid, so they are excluded from this category. Data source: OECD - Military spending
In terms of the proportion of a country’s economy spent on their military, Russia and Greece are the worst, spending a whopping 4.1 per cent of their national incomes on their armed forces. Austria is the most peaceful country, spending 0.9 per cent of national income in the military. The UK spends the most of any country in Western Europe - 2.7 per cent (compare that with the 0.36 per cent we spend on international aid). If the UK reduced its military spending to the European average of 1.8 per cent it would free up £8.5 billion for spending elsewhere.
Data source: United Nations Development Programme - Health spending
Does what it says on the tin. Nurses and teachers good. Guns and bombs bad.
Data source: United Nations Development Programme - National income per person
Global inequality is massive. The richest 5 per cent of the world’s population receive 114 times the income of the poorest 5 per cent. There is also huge inequality between countries. Whilst Europe is seen as a developed region, there are still stark differences in income between countries. If you want to cheer on the poorest countries taking part in Euro 2008, then Turkey and Romania are the teams for you. Their national income per person is a quarter that of the richest country taking part; Switzerland. Data source: United Nations Development Programme - Perception of corruption
Corruption is the use of power for private gain. It is present throughout the world, but the poor - those with least power - suffer the most. The global corruption watchdog Transparency International say “Corruption is as much a problem in rich countries as it is in poor countries”. Corruption thrives where the checks and balances within the political system are inadequate to control it, and where countries cannot afford to pay their public servants enough to feed their families. Of our Euro 2008 teams, there is the greatest perception of corruption in Russia and Romania.
Data source: Transparency International - Electricity from renewable energy
In order to tackle climate change the rich need to waste less, cut consumption and get more of their energy from renewable energies such as wind, wave, tidal and solar. Austria, Croatia, Sweden and Switzerland already get over 50 per cent of their electricity from renewable energy. The UK gets just 4 per cent, which is less than most European countries. For instance, Germany and France both get 10 per cent of their electricity from renewable energy.
Data source: European Commission - Happiness
Does money make you happy? In the rich world the huge increases in wealth in recent decades has not increased happiness. Data source: New Economics Foundation - Companies in Europe’s largest 500
Astonishingly for every £1 given in aid to developing countries, multinational companies take out £1.50 in profits.
There are over 15,000 people employed in Brussels to lobby the European Union on behalf of companies. Unsurprisingly EU trade policy ends up being for the benefit of corporations rather than being in the interests of the world’s poorest people.
To learn more about trade go to: http://www.wdm.org.uk/campaigns/trade/index.htm
Data source: Financial Times - Inequality
As well as inequality between countries there can be huge inequality within countries. In Turkey, the richest 10 per cent of the population earn 17 times more than the poorest 10 per cent. The Czech Republic is the most equal country taking part in Euro 2008, followed by Sweden, Austria and Germany. The UK is one of the most unequal countries in Europe: the richest 10 per cent earn 14 times more than the poorest 10 per cent.
Data source: United Nations Development Programme
Digg
del.icio.us
stumbleupon
Print this page
