Good News Friday

  • In India, over 135 million people were lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2015 to 2021. NITI (PDF link).
  • Egypt used to have the highest rate of hepatitis C in the world. In 2018, the government decided to implement a campaign to screen and treat every citizen. Today, Egypt has eliminated hepatitis C from its entire population. Forbes.
  • In the last 12 months, an NGO called Evidence Action has installed over 24,000 new chlorine dispensers in Uganda and Malawi, providing 9.8 million people with access to safe water. Evidence Action.
  • Connecticut has not only cut its number of imprisoned people in half, but it has been able to close more than ten prisons while keeping its crime rate at its lowest level in more than 40 years. Slate.
  • Ant Forest, a mobile app game in China, is responsible for the planting of over 400 million trees. China Daily.
  • Maryland has repopulated more than 10 billion oysters in the Chesapeake since 1994, improving water quality, and providing a welcome habitat for other marine life. Washington Post.
  • Since 2021, eleven states have passed child tax credits that include the lowest-income families with no reported labor income, many with bipartisan support. Jain Family Institute.

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

Good News Friday

  • HIV treatment averted almost 21 million AIDS-related deaths between 1996 and 2022. UNAIDS (PDF link).
  • America’s gender pay gap has shrunk to an all-time low. CBS News.
  • Solar installations in Brazil have created around 960,000 jobs and offset 40.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions since 2012. Renewables Now.
  • In the first half of this year, wind and solar generated more power than coal in the United States. Canary.
  • Bhutan and Timor-Leste eliminate rubella. WHO.
  • The number of poor people in Cambodia was halved from 5.6 million to 2.8 million in the last 8 years. The Star.
  • Sierra Leone is the latest country to expand free education for children as legal right to free education grows globally. Human Rights Watch.
  • Since joining the Built for Zero program in 2015, Detroit has reduced veteran homelessness by approximately 60 percent. Reasons to be Cheerful.

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

Good News Friday

  • Between 1990 to 2019, the share of the global population living in extreme poverty dropped from 38% to 8.5%. World Bank.
  • 25 countries halved multidimensional poverty within 15 years. UNDP.
  • Deforestation in Colombia fell 29% last year. The Guardian.
  • New rapid malaria test: A breakthrough by Angolan twins. DW.
  • Philadelphia’s eviction diversion program kept thousands housed. New York Times.
  • How a simple tag helped India save fuel worth $8.4 billion. Rest of World.

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

Good News Friday

  • Trials have shown dementia drugs donanemab and lecanemab slowed cognitive decline by 35% and 27% respectively. The Guardian.
  • Cambodia has reduced its maternal mortality rate from 810 per 100,000 live births in 2008 to 154 per 100,000 live births in 2021-2022. During the same time, under-five mortality has fallen from 55 to 16 per 1,000 live births, and overall life expectancy has risen from 61 and 64 years to 74.3 and 76.8 years for men and women, respectively. Khmer Times.
  • Saudi Arabia introduced a set of legal reforms which increased women’s labor force participation from 22 percent in 2019 to almost 37 percent today. Arab News.
  • ‘Knock Knock’ enables victims of domestic violence in South Korea to report abuse to the police with just two taps on their smartphone. It shares the victim’s location and allows them to stream evidence to the police live. LBB.
  • 4ocean has recovered 30 million pounds of plastic waste and man-made debris from the world’s oceans, rivers, and coastlines since the company began in 2017. Oceanographic.

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

Good News Friday

  • Between 2000 and 2022, 2.1 billion people gained access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion gained access to safely managed sanitation. WHO (PDF link).
  • Globally, deaths from drowning decreased by 44.5% between 1990 and 2017. BMJ.
  • In the United States, child poverty has been reduced by 40%, and the gains made by low-wage workers have reduced income disparity by 25%. Prospect.
  • Low emission zones in cities have reduced heart and circulatory problems, resulting in an estimated health cost savings of €4.4 billion. The Guardian.
  • Wind and solar saved consumers in Texas approximately $11 billion in 2022. PV Magazine.

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

Good News Friday

  • Belize certified malaria-free. WHO.
  • How data helped Mexico City reduce high-impact crime by more than 50%. World Economic Forum.
  • Israel reduced the suicide rate in the military by about 30 percent. Think Global Health.
  • Indonesia and Malaysia have cut deforestation in half in last five years. Yale 360.
  • China on course to hit wind and solar power target five years ahead of time. The Guardian.
  • A massive underground deposit of high-grade phosphate has been discovered in Norway, enough to satisfy world demand for fertilizers, solar panels and EV batteries for 100 years. Euractiv.
  • Conservation efforts celebrated as 26 Australian species no longer need threatened listing. The Guardian.
  • A new TB vaccine could save 8.5m lives over the next quarter of a century. The Economist.
  • Day care for less than $10: how Canada is easing the burden for parents. The New York Times.

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

Good News Friday

  • Kenya has made some big strides in reducing teen pregnancy, with rates falling by more than half in four years. The Standard.
  • Japan has raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 and introduced far stricter laws against sex crimes. BBC.
  • Diversity increased on the nation’s largest companies’ corporate boards by 38% in 2022. NBC News.
  • Deforestation in Brazil fell 68% in April compared with the same month last year. NewScientist.
  • Spain set to generate more than 50% of its power from renewables. Bloomberg.
  • Homicide rate in Scotland falls to lowest level since records began. The National.

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

Good News Friday

  • More than 1.1 million Moroccans are now connected to reliable, safe water supply. The World Bank.
  • Governor Newsom announces statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide universal access to free books for young children. Ca.gov.
  • Wind and solar produced more U.S. power than coal during the first five months of this year, as several coal plants closed and gas prices dropped. Scientific American.
  • China’s installed non-fossil fuel electricity capacity exceeds 50% of total two years ahead of schedule. Reuters.
  • For the first time, phosphates have been detected in an alien ocean. Found on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, the discovery raises the possibility that life could exist on the tiny frozen satellite. Science Alert.

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

Good News Friday

  • Number of confirmed malaria cases in Tanzania declined by 55 per cent from 7.7 million in 2015 to 3.5 million in 2022. Daily News.
  • Over the past two decades, the proportion of Ugandans suffering from hunger has fallen by 58 percent and only one percent still face severe hunger. Reasons to be Cheerful.
  • The age-standardized death rate from cancer declined by 15% since 1990. Our World in Data.
  • Cheap vaccines could prevent millions of deaths from cervical cancer. The Economist.
  • Global inequality at lowest level in nearly 150 years. Axios.
  • Wind and solar overtake fossil generation in the EU in May. Ember.
  • Handheld device could 3D-print tissues and organs in-situ. Engineering and Technology
  • Scientists have developed a super repellent that can stop 99% of mosquitos from biting your skin. Euronews.
  • Lab-grown dairy doesn’t have cholesterol, lactose, growth hormones or antibiotics, doesn’t harm cows, and is good for the environment. And it’s already here. The Washington Post.

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

Good News Friday

  • The share of people worldwide who say their area is a good place for gay or lesbian people to live doubled from 25% to 50% over 10 years. Axios.
  • Scientists find way to make energy from air using nearly any material. The Washington Post.
  • 5,000 new species found in the Pacific Ocean. BBC.
  • New airborne radar could revolutionize hurricane forecasting. Axios.
  • An experimental treatment has a 90% success rate at bringing patients with multiple myeloma into remission. The Jerusalem Post.
  • New kind of chicken lays eggs that don’t have allergy protein. Freethink.

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