Is it just me, or have other people also been hearing a similar message with greater frequency lately?
“The world is only getting worse. Things will continue to worsen until all of humanity is wiped out. Humanity’s downfall is inevitable at this stage. There is no hope that things can change. There is nothing we can do about it. The end of times will be caused by either climate change or General AI.”
Back in 2016, they surveyed people in 17 countries about their perception of the state of the world. 58% thought that the world was either getting worse or staying the same. Americans were even glummer: 65% thought the world was getting worse and only 6% thought it was getting better.
In 2021, when 10,000 young people aged 16 to 25 were surveyed, 75% agreed that “the future is frightening”. 56% agreed that “humanity is doomed” and 55% agreed that “the things that I most value will be destroyed”.
Yes, some of the things that are happening are deeply troubling. If I watch or read too much mainstream news, I quickly become concerned about the state of the world also. But is this really the whole story?
Or are we just given snippets of things that portray an overly negative view on the state of things? Both news outlets and social media companies surely know by now. Stories that elicit fear and rage in the audience lead to people consuming more media. It keeps people on their station or site longer. “If it bleeds, it leads!” Or if it leads to people wanting to draw blood in others too, I guess.
At the end of each year, I receive two emails that summarise the best stories of progress for the year. On December 19th, Fix the News shared their article ‘86 Stories of Progress from 2024.’ Human Progress’s Doomslayer newsletter then shared their ‘1066 Good News Stories You Didn’t Click On in 2024.’
It always pleasantly surprises me reading through these end of the year lists. Lots of incredible things are happening. Millions of people’s lives are being saved. Even more lives are being improved because of the progress that is being made. So why is it that unless we are actively searching for these things, we hear nothing about them?
10 Amazing Bits of News that You’ve Probably Heard Nothing About
1. A GAME-CHANGING HIV DRUG
In June 2024, researchers showed that a drug called lenacapavir reduced HIV infections to zero in a trial. This means that the drug, which only has to be taken twice a year, was 100% efficacious. By October 2024, an affordable version of lenacapavir was going to be produced for 120 resource-limited countries. More recent trials are also testing a version that only needs to be taken once a year.
2. A MALARIA VACCINE
17 African countries began their roll out of a malaria vaccine in 2024. These countries include Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger and Kenya. From 2000 to 2023, 12.7 million deaths and 2.2 billion cases were averted due to prior malaria interventions used. 95% of the 597,000 malaria-related deaths in 2023 occurred in Africa. According to the CDC, the new malaria vaccines can reduce uncomplicated malaria by approximately 40%. They can also reduce severe malaria by approximately 30% and all-cause mortality by 13%. Other studies suggest that it is less effective in high-transmission areas than in low-transmission areas. Here is hoping that it can further reduce the burden of malaria worldwide.
3. INFANT MORTALITY HAS MASSIVELY REDUCED IN SOUTH ASIA
The number of young children dying each year in South Asia has decreased significantly from 1990 to 2022. In India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Bhutan, Afghanistan and the Maldives, the number decreased from 5 to 1.3 million. Since the year 2000, children in South Asia are now 62% less likely to die between birth and five years of age.
4. CANCER MORTALITY IS DECLINING IN WEALTHIER COUNTRIES
Mortality rates from cancer in the US has fallen by about a third in the last 30 years. This saved over 4 million lives. Mortality rates from cancer have fallen by 12% in Canada in the last 10 years. Between 2018 and 2024, 6.5% fewer men and 4.3% fewer women died of cancer in Europe.
5. DEFORESTATION IN SOUTH AMERICA IS IMPROVING
Deforestation in Columbia hit a 23-year low, and dropped by 36% from the year before. Bolivia created four new protected areas. Chile protected 1,315km2 of new area. The Brazilian Amazon’s deforestation is nearly five times less than it was back in 2004. It has halved in the last two years. Importantly for the future, over 60% of the Amazon is now under some form of conservation management.
6. 21 DIFFERENT ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERED
I hadn’t even heard of some of these species that have recovered. They include the fish called Putitor mahseer, the Florida golden aster, the Ulūlu, the Arapaima, the Chipola slabshell and Fat threeridge (mussels), and the Pookila. Other well-known species that are doing better are the (Australian saltwater and Siamese) crocodile, Giant pandas, the Narwhal, (Asiatic) lions, (Saimaa ringed) seals, (red cockaded) woodpeckers, (Asian) antelopes, (Yellow-footed rock) wallabies, (Southern bluefin) tuna, (orange-bellied) parrots, and (Sierra Nevada yellow-legged) frogs. The Scimitar oryx, Iberian lynx, and the Yangtze finless porpoise have also recovered.
7. MILLIONS MORE CHILDREN WERE EDUCATED IN SCHOOLS
Since the year 2000, the global number of children not attending school has declined by nearly 40%. Over this same period of time, the world’s population has increased by nearly two billion people. Which makes a 40% drop in overall numbers even more remarkable. Gender parity has been achieved in primary education in Eastern and Southern Africa. 40 million more young people are completing secondary school than they were in the early 2000s. This means that the average child also attends school for more years.
8. ACCESS IMPROVED TO WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE FOR MILLIONS OF CHILDREN
Between 2015 and 2023, 213 million children gained access to drinking water at their schools. 193 million children gained access to sanitation and 174 million gained access to hygiene services at school too. These figures are all based on a report from WHO/UNICEF.
9. CRIME IS GETTING A LOT BETTER IN SOME PLACES
Homicide rates in Brazil fell to a 14-year low. They are also at their lowest rates in Mexico since 2016. Crime rates have fallen by more than 50% in the Philippines compared to six years ago. Levels of violent and property crime in the US are among the lowest rates recorded since the 1960s. There has been an enormous decline in homicides in the US too.
10. HOW WE ARE PERSONALLY FEELING SEEMS TO BE IMPROVING
The 2024 Gallup Global Emotions Report examined data on positive and negative experiences. By assessing 146,000 people from 142 countries worldwide, Gallop tried to get a sense of how people felt about their experiences from the day before. This then provided a larger snapshot of how pleasant or difficult people’s lives are feeling in general.
The positive experience index asks about how well-rested one feels, if they were treated with respect, and if they smiled or laughed a lot. It also asks if they learned or did something interesting, and if they enjoyed things.
The negative experience index asked how much people experienced physical pain, worry, sadness, stress and anger.
The average person’s level of positive experiences are now the highest that they have been since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of negative experiences, these scores had been consistently getting worse from 2014 to 2023. The 2024 results were the first time in a decade that the Negative Experiences Index score has declined. Hopefully this can become a new trend for the next decade.
Imagine what would happen if people start seeing some of the positive changes that are already occurring worldwide, rather than just the negative stories? People might keep a sense of hope for the future. They might realise that it isn’t too late. There are steps that they can take for things to keep improving.
Or is it just me that feels like I am getting a distorted picture of how things are? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Dr Damon Ashworth
Clinical Psychologist
Damon Ashworth Psychology 
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