| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Headline | POSITIVE | LINK |
2 | New malaria vaccine approved | A new, cheaper, more effective malaria vaccine was approved for widespread use by the WHO | |
3 | Cervical cancer drug advance | Biggest breakthrough in treatment of cervical cancer for 20 years, with trials showing it cut risk of death by 35%. | |
4 | First whole eye transplant | Surgeons successfully performed the first every whole eye transplant in a human. | |
5 | A tropical disease was eliminited in Bangladesh | Bangladesh became the first country in the world to eliminate the tropical disease "kala-azar" (the medical name is Visceral Leishmaniasis). The WHO called it "a monumental achievement". | |
6 | Child mortality rate (probably) lowest ever | The rate children died before age 5 was estimated to have dropped from 3.7% in 2021 down to 3.6% in 2022, which is the lowest global number ever estimated. | |
7 | India experienced a huge decline in malaria cases | India had an 85.1% decline in malaria cases and an 83.36% decline in deaths during the years between 2015 and 2022. | |
8 | Cancer death rates down in rich countries | US cancer death rate falls 33% since 1991, partly due to advances in treatment, early detection and less smoking, report says. The same improvements are seen in most high income countries, whith the same resources to provide the best cancer care and prevention. | |
9 | Covid didn't affect people’s happiness around world | World Happiness as high as before the pandemic, World Happiness Report shows. | |
10 | Mecca back to pre-pandemic levels | The Hajj operated at full capacity for the first time since the pandemic. | |
11 | First African country with shared parental leave | South Africa became the first African country to introduce shared parental leave | |
12 | Historic elimination of state-imposed forced labour in Uzbekistan | A second consecutive cotton-picking season in Uzbekistan when government-imposed forced labour was NOT used, after it had finally been abolished. | |
13 | World's largest solar farm activated | The United Arab Emirates launched the world's largest solar farm, which will power nearly 200,000 homes and eliminate over 2.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. | |
14 | Fighting against eco fraud in the Netherlands | The Netherlands' parliament agreed to halt subsidies to 'untruthful' biomass firms who can't back up their environmental claims. | |
15 | Peak oil prediction | IEA forecasted demand for oil for transport being in major decline after 2026, due to shift to cleaner technologies | |
16 | Clean energy investment more than fossil fuel investment | For every 1 dollar invested in fossil fuels in 2023, 1.8 dollars was invested in clean energy. Five years ago for every dollar invested in fossil fuels, the same amount was invested in clean energy. | |
17 | EV battery prices falling | Electric vehicle battery prices are falling faster than expected, according to new research. | |
18 | Most new electricity was renewable | In 2022, 85% of all new electrcity production capacity was from renewable sources | |
19 | Paid menstrual leave introduced in Spain | Spain became the first European country to introduce paid menstrual leave for women experiencing painful periods. | |
20 | Women finally allowed to vote everywhere | The last state to allow women to vote was the Vatican City, which in 2023 finally granted women the right to vote, meaning that women now finally have the legal right to vote in every single country in the world! | |
21 | More people than ever have clean drinking water | The latest WASH report showed that 2.1 billion people gained access to safely managed drinking water between 2000 and 2022. | |
22 | Internet more affordable | In 2023, both data-only mobile broadband and fixed broadband became more affordable in all regions and for all income groups, according to the UN agency, the International Telecommunication Union. | |
23 | Mobile Internet masts are almost everywhere | 90% of the world's population lives in an area that is covered by at least a 4G network (38% are covered by 5G). This doesn't mean that the people can use the service, but at least the infrastructure is in place. | |
24 | More than 90% now have electricity | The latest energy progress report showed that 91% of the world's population now has some access to electricity. Back in 2010, it was 84%. | |
25 | More money than ever to help refugees | In 2022, more money than ever before was raised to help refugees: 6 billion dollars. (This is still far from enough, as the UN refigee organizations, even with this budget, only had roughly 1 dollar per refugee per day across the world.) | |
26 | Big step forward in protection of ocean | Countries signed the High Seas Treaty which aims to protect more of the ocean than ever before. | |
27 | Saudi Arabia and Iran restore diplomatic ties | Saudi Arabia and Iran exchanged ambassadors, ending a seven-year break in diplomatic relations. | |
28 | Hundredth World Heritage site in Africa | Five new sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage list, with Africa meeting the milestone of 100 sites. | |
29 | The laws against ozone depleting gases worked | The ozone layer will be completely healed within two decades, a new assessment revealed. |