📈 Human Progress
In the last decades humanity has made great progress with less extreme poverty, increased health, wealth and democracy. We follow in the tradition of professor Hans Rosling.
🐅 Thailand's tiger population has increased fivefold in 15 years
The tiger population in Thailand's Western Forest Complex has increased from approximately 40 individuals in 2007 to between 179 and 223 last year. WWF calls the increase extraordinary. Major tiger population recoveries have also been noted in India and Nepal.
🚭 Drug deaths plummet among young Americans
Fatal overdoses among 20- to 29-year-olds decreased by 47 percent. The number of fatal overdoses among people under 35 years fell from over 31,000 in 2021 to approximately 16,690 in 2024.
🧠 Younger generations have lower risk of dementia at a given age than earlier generations
People born later have less risk of developing dementia at the same age compared to earlier generations. The trend is clearer among women, especially in Europe and England.
🔙 Beaver returns to Portugal after 500 years
Beaver has returned to Portugal after being extinct since the end of the 1400s, confirmed through camera traps and gnaw marks. The species functions as a natural ecosystem engineer that creates wetlands and improves water quality without human cost.
🧒 Bangladesh has reduced child mortality from 21% to 3%
Child mortality in Bangladesh has dropped from 211 per 1,000 births in 1979 to 31 per 1,000 today. Vaccination coverage has increased from 2 percent to 98 percent for basic vaccines. The country now finances 39 percent of its vaccination program and will become completely self-sufficient by 2030.
🌊 Record number of river barriers removed in Europe during 2024
Europe removed 542 dams, weirs and sluices that blocked the flow in waterways during 2024. The number of removals increased by 11 percent compared to the year before according to a report from Dam Removal Europe.
💰 Poverty in Jamaica drops to lowest level ever
Poverty in Jamaica decreased to 8.2 percent in 2023, compared to 16.7 percent in 2021. It is the lowest figure measured since measurements began in 1989. Food poverty dropped to 2.8 percent, also the lowest level ever.
📉 EU looks set to reach climate targets for 2030
The Union is on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The target that the EU has set is a 55 percent reduction.
💡 Musings of the Angry Optimist: Untrue established truths
The discussion is full of pessimistic knee-jerk reactions regarding AI.