The National Index of Sustainable Noospheric Development

The article presents a new model for regional sustainable development assessment, the composite Index of Sustainable Noospheric Development. It describes the principle of constructing the index, its uniqueness, and advantages compared to other criteria and evaluation methods. The index is calculated by accounting 5 subindices which reflect the level of region’s economy greening, creativity of space, environmental compliance, the demographic development, the use of labour and time potential of the population. Analysis based on this index showed that regions that maintain environmental sustainability are more competitive in the long term than regions focused on economic development. During the analysis process, a rating was formed that divides regions into clusters of leaders and outsiders using Russia as an example. The results of the analysis indicate the need to address the balance of environmental, social and economic processes in the group of outsider regions. As important advantages of the index, it is worth noting the temporal approach, the launch of a trend towards preserving nature and the capabilities of the biosphere, tracking the consumption of resources in proportion to their production, and reflecting the values of the population.