📈 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.
📉 Emissions from new cars have halved over the past four years
Carbon dioxide emissions from new passenger cars decreased by over 8 percent from the previous year. Over the past four years, emissions from the average new passenger car have almost halved. The significant increase in electric cars is crucial for this development.
🦟 Cape Verde reaches milestone – free from malaria
Cape Verde has been declared free from malaria by WHO. No cases of local transmission have been reported for three years, thanks to strengthened health care systems and increased access to diagnosis and treatment.
🔫 Sharp decline in U.S. murders during 2023
The United States is on track for a record reduction in murders, according to the FBI. Of the nine categories of violent and property crimes, only motor vehicle theft has increased.
💉 "Possible to eradicate Malaria within ten years"
New vaccines against malaria are hailed as one of the most important scientific advances. The vaccines Mosquirix and R21 reduce both the prevalence and mortality of malaria.
💔 Decreased mortality from heart diseases and stroke in the USA
Mortality from cardiovascular diseases has decreased by 4.7 percent from 2010 to 2020. The number of people in the USA dying from heart attacks each year has decreased from 1 in 2 to now 1 in 8. Stroke has also decreased. It was the third leading cause of death in 1938 but is now in fifth place.
📉 Rapid poverty reduction in Bangladesh
Poverty in Bangladesh has significantly decreased, with the moderate poverty level dropping from 24.3 percent in 2016 to 18.7 percent in 2022. Extreme poverty has been reduced from 12.9 percent to 5.6 percent.
📈 People with Down syndrome live more than twice as long today
The lifespan of individuals with Down syndrome has increased from 25 years in 1983 to about 60 years today. Other advancements include an increase in IQ by 20 points, with the majority learning to read and write. The number who live independently and choose to marry is growing.
🐦 The Guam kingfisher may soon be free in the wild after a 30-year absence
Almost 140 Guam kingfishers live today in 25 facilities worldwide. But the plan is for them to soon also exist freely in the wild.
🏆 The Vesuvius challenge solved! We can read the first scroll
Two thousand years ago, an ancient library of papyrus scrolls was buried under a volcanic eruption. They cannot be unrolled without being destroyed. But thanks to the Vesuvius challenge, several competing teams have managed to read the scrolls anyway. The winning team was awarded $700,000.