• Malaria vaccine rollout begins in Cameroon. The Guardian.
• Tobacco use declines with only 1 in 5 adults worldwide consuming tobacco compared to 1 in 3 in 2000. PAHO.
• Cancer mortality is down 33% in America in the past three decades, saving an estimated 4.1 million lives, and as many as two-thirds of all cancers can now be treated as chronic conditions or cured outright. American Cancer Society (PDF link).
• Thanks to the HPV vaccine, no cases of invasive cervical cancer were recorded in women immunized at 12 or 13 years of age in Scotland. JNCI.
• 248 million people in India have escaped multidimensional poverty in the last nine years. NITI Aayog (PDF link).
• 21 megacities improved their air pollution levels between 2017 and 2022. DW.
• During 2023, violent crime plummeted to its lowest level in the United States since the 1960s, and by the end of the year inflation had been tamed and unemployment was at historic lows. The Atlantic.

For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.

• Cape Verde reaches malaria-free milestone. BBC.
• Eastern and Southern Africa have nearly achieved gender parity in primary education, with 25 million more girls enrolled in primary school today than in the early 2000s. The World Bank.
• Twenty-two states increased their minimum wages in January. The Washington Post.
• Hennepin County, Minnesota, has reduced its homeless population by almost 36% in just two years. Bloomberg.
• 2023 was one of aviation’s safest years on record with zero jet aircraft crashes. Simple Flying.
• The scimitar horned oryx has been brought back from the brink of extinction. ZSL.
• Deforestation rate of the Amazon rainforest halved in 2023. BBC.
• Global annual renewable capacity additions increased by almost 50% to nearly 510 gigawatts in 2023, the fastest growth rate in the past two decades. IEA.
• Renewables hit 55% of German electricity mix. ReNews.

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• Nearly 100,000 fewer people died in wars and armed conflicts during 2023 compared to 2022. Warp News.
• Renewable energy’s share on German power grids reaches 55% in 2023. Reuters.
• Uruguay now produces up to 98% of its electricity from renewables. The Guardian.
• Scientists hail new antibiotic that can kill drug-resistant bacteria. The Guardian.
• Wage growth is beating inflation. Axios.
• Ten inspiring signs of progress from the past year. Greater Good Magazine.

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• The minimum wage is going up in 22 states on Jan. 1. Axios.
• UK electricity from fossil fuels drops to lowest level since 1957. CarbonBrief.
• Good climate news in 2023. MIT Technology Review.
• The year in gun violence solutions. The Trace.
• What went right in 2023. The Wall Street Journal.
• In 1900, the average life expectancy of a newborn was 32 years. By 2021 this had more than doubled to 71 years. Our World in Data.

For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.

• 66 good news stories you didn’t hear about in 2023. Future Crunch.
• Something good happened every week of 2023. The Progress Network.

For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.

• Even though 3 in 4 Americans think crime rose this year, 2023 featured one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the United States in more than 50 years, as well as one of the largest national declines in murder on record. Jeff-alytics.
• In 2023, US states have passed 103 gun safety laws for a total of 620 since 2012. Giffords.
• Canada is promoting child care for $10 a day. Vox.
• The number of U.S. electric school buses has more than doubled since last year. US Department of Energy.
• Power generated by wind and solar in the US is slated to eclipse coal-fired electricity next year. Axios.
• More than a third of power consumed in Delhi is green. The Times of India.
• Since 2010, road traffic deaths have fallen by 5%. World Health Organization.

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• FDA approves 2 gene therapies for sickle cell. One is the first to use the editing tool CRISPR. AP News.
• Australian EV sales have increased by 185% since 2022. The Guardian.
• Electric vehicles and hybrids grow to a record-high 18% of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales. EIA.
• Forecast warns when sea life will get tangled in nets — one year in advance. Nature.
• November jobs report shows labor market is flourishing in US. Axios.

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• Detroit is close to recording its fewest homicides in nearly 60 years. Detroit Free Press.
• Egypt wiped out hepatitis C. Now it is trying to help the rest of Africa. New York Times.
• Murders due to gender violence in Spain have decreased by 29% in the last 20 years. Ministerio Del Interior.
• Since 2016, 25 million people in eastern and southern Africa have gained access to electricity. World Bank.
• Child and teen cancer deaths fell 24% in the last 2 decades in the US. NBC.
• Deforestation across the Amazon rainforest so far this year has slowed dramatically, down 55.8% from the same period a year ago. Reuters.
• The world’s solar capacity has doubled in the last 18 months. PV Magazine.
• Detroit’s newest road can charge electric cars as they travel on it. Axios.

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• Since the year 2000, stunting in children under 5 years of age has declined by one-third, and today, there are 60 million fewer undernourished children. Unicef.
• Extreme poverty rate dropped faster than ever during the past decades. Gapminder.
• The poverty rate in Tajikistan has fallen from 32% in 2009 to 13.4% in 2022. World Bank.
• The Azores bullfinch has been brought back from the edge of extinction. European Commission.
• Over the past decade, the Black Mambas, an all-female anti-poaching unit in South Africa, has eliminated rhino poaching in the Olifants West Nature Reserve. BBC.
• 2023 might be the year of peak emissions. Climate Analytics.
• Solar and wind comprise 88% of all new energy capacity built in India up to October 2023. Solar Quarter.
• Hoboken, New Jersey has had zero traffic fatalities since January 2017 by lowering the speed limit, increasing visibility, adding bike lanes, and installing curb extensions. Bloomberg.
• The US doesn’t have universal health care — but some states almost do. Vox.

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• Globally, deaths from particulate pollution have dropped 16% since 2005. 200,000 lives have been saved per year by reducing air pollution. El Pais.
• Intimate partner homicide in Austalia has declined 38% since 2016, the rate of partner violence has decreased by over 50%, and rates of sexual harassment have reached their lowest levels ever in every state and territory. The Conversation.
• Cases of severe malaria in Rwanda decreased 85% since 2016. All Africa.
• In the US, food prices have largely flatlined for months, gasoline prices are about 10% lower than a year ago, and the average cost of much of what goes into a shopping cart has been roughly unchanged for a year. Reuters.
• US EV sales are having a record-setting year. Canary Media.
• Record 89% of Finland’s electricity from fossil-free sources last year. YLE.

For more good news, check out Future Crunch and The Progress Network.