20 things that got better in 2018
Sources: VOX, Wired, A Wealth of Common Sense, Goodnet, Good News Network, Human Rights Watch, Medium
1) Extreme poverty is falling. 35.9 percent in 1990 to only 10 percent in 2015 … it estimates that the 2018 rate will be about 8.6 percent.
2) Child mortality is falling. The global under-five mortality rate fell from 93 per 1,000 [1990] to 39 to 1,000 [2017], meaning it fell by over 58 percent. We don’t have data for 2018 yet, but given the change just between 2015 and 2017, it’s likely there was a further decline.
3) We’re getting better at preventing preventable diseases. A new technology that could be able to radically control or outright eliminate malaria — gene drive mosquitos — are almost ready and foundations like Gates and Open Philanthropy Project are devoting huge sums to fund its development and testing.
4) Clean energy is getting cheaper. Solar and wind are now cheaper per megawatt hour than gas or oil, though better batteries are needed if the two are to become primary sources of energy.
5) Nepal’s endangered tiger population has doubled. In 2009, there were only 120 wild Bengal tigers in Nepal, but that figure has almost doubled since then. The country’s government has pledged to double numbers by 2022, and is on track to meet that target.
6) We’re interstellar once again. In December 2018, Voyager 2 became the second space craft to leave the heliosphere and it’s still in good shape.
7) The Nobel prize for physics went to a woman for the first time in 55 years. Only three women have ever won the Nobel prize for physics. Donna Strickland from Canada’s University of Waterloo was awarded a share of the prize for her work on using powerful lasers to study tiny particles.
8) Hospitals have created their own drug company to fight back against high costs. A new company Civica Rx, was announced in January 2018 and a third of the country’s [USA] hospitals have either committed to participate or expressed interest. The company CEO Martin Van Trieste is not taking a salary.
9) There are more scientists in politics [USA]. There’s one new senator, and eight new members of Congress with a STEM background, including computer programmers, engineers, and an oceanographer.
10) Fewer war deaths. The proportion of people killed annually in wars is less than a quarter of what it was in the 1980s, one-seventh of what it was in the early 1970s, one-eighteenth of what it was in the early 1950s, and 0.5% of what it was during World War II.
11) Fewer weapons of mass destruction. The world’s nuclear stockpiles have been reduced by 85% since the Cold War.
12) Better crop yields. Between 1961 and 2009 the amount of land used to grow food increased by 12%, but the amount of food that was grown increased by 300%.
13) Increased literacy. The global literacy rate is currently 83%. It’s estimated that by the end of the century this number will be close to 100%.
14) Access to clean water: Between 1980 and today, global access to safe water sources has increased from 58% to 91%.
15) Protected nature reserves. In 1962, there were 9,214 protected nature reserves worldwide. Today, there are over 200,000.
16) Plastic bag use slashed [AUS]. After two of Australia’s biggest supermarket chains announced that they would stop offering single-use plastic bags to their consumers, the initiative has heavily contributed to an 80% drop in plastic bag consumption across the nation.
17) Post-surgical spray gel to prevent cancer recurrence. A UCLA-led research team has developed a spray gel that is embedded with immune-boosting nanoparticles. The substance was successful half of the time in awakening lab animals’ immune systems to stop the cancer from recurring following tumor removal.
18) Norway bans palm oil biofuels that lead to deforestation. The majority of the Norwegian parliament agreed to ban their biofuel industry from buying palm oil and other dangerous biofuels that are linked to deforestation and harmful environmental practices.
19) Drastic decrease in child labor. Since 2000, the number of children in child labor globally fell by 94 million, a drop of more than one-third.
20) Suicides down over one-third. Global suicide rates have dropped by 38% since 1994,
