Many bad things happened in 2023. You already know them. Many tragic events were so terrible we will never forget them and we shouldn’t. You can easily find them all over the news. But the good things that happened are much harder to encounter, and it is easy to get the impression nothing good happened at all. In order to keep struggling to make the world better, we all need some hope. Therefore we have collected a list of 100 positive stories from 2023 that might make you feel differently about the 12 months that went by! With these things in mind, it is easier to imagine that 2024 can become better!
With these things in mind, it is easier to imagine that 2024 can become better!
(But if this isn’t enough for you to regain hope, try checking out our list of 31 global improvement trends here.)
TOPICS
Health
Covid Recovery
Laws
Energy Transition
Women
Standard of living
Rivers and Lakes
Nature
Oceans
International Relations
Space
HEALTH
1. New malaria vaccine approved
A new, cheaper, more effective malaria vaccine was approved for widespread use by the WHO… Read more »
2. Cervical cancer drug advance
Biggest breakthrough in treatment of cervical cancer for 20 years, with trials showing it cut risk of death by 35%…. Read more »
3. First whole eye transplant
Surgeons successfully performed the first every whole eye transplant in a human…. Read more »
4. A disease was eliminited in Bangladesh
Bangladesh became the first country in the world to eliminate the tropical disease “”kala-azar”” (the medical name is Visceral Leishmaniasis). The WHO called it “”a monumental achievement””…. Read more »
5. Child mortality rate (probably) lowest ever
The rate children died before age 5 was estimated to have dropped from 3.6% in 2021 down to 3.5% in 2022, which is the lowest global number ever estimated…. Read more »
6. India experienced a huge decline in malaria cases
India had an 85% decline in malaria cases and an 83% decline in deaths during the years between 2015 and 2022…. Read more »
7. Cancer death rates down in rich countries
US cancer death rate falls 33% since 1991, partly due to advances in treatment, early detection and less smoking, report says. The same improvements are seen in most high income countries, whith the same resources to provide the best cancer care and prevention…. Read more »
8. Elimination of malaria close in Ghana
Ghana is moving to the “elimination phase” in its battle with malaria…. Read more »
9. Anti-HIV drugs available to millions more
Worldwide, the number of people on medication for HIV rose almost fourfold, from 7.7 million in 2010 to 29.8 million in 2022…. Read more »
10. Big drop in aids deaths
AIDS-related deaths declined by 55% among women and girls and by 47% among men and boys since 2010…. Read more »
11. Major breakthroughs in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Two new medications proved they are able to slow down cognitive decline from Alzheimer’s disease. … Read more »
12. New anti-obesity drugs are effective
New competing weight-loss drugs were release to the market from multiple pharma companies…. Read more »
13. Brain implants help paralysed man walk again
In a medical first, a paralysed man from the Netherlands walked again thanks to implants in his brain that could read his thoughts…. Read more »
14. End of Malaria in Belize
The WHO certified Belize as malaria-free, following the country’s over 70 years of continued efforts to stamp out the disease…. Read more »
15. First vaccine against RSV
RSV is a common respiratory illness that can make babies and older adults very sick and the vaccine will help prevent severe illness in those groups…. Read more »
16. Leading cause of blindness eliminated in Iraq
Iraq became the 17th country to eliminate trachoma (the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide) as a public health problem…. Read more »
17. Vaccine factory in Africa
Africa’s first mRNA vaccine factory opened in Rwanda…. Read more »
COVID RECOVERY
18. World Happiness Recovered
World Happiness as high as before the pandemic, World Happiness Report shows…. Read more »
19. Mecca back to pre-pandemic levels
The Hajj operated at full capacity for the first time since the pandemic…. Read more »
20. China reopened border after 3 years
China finally reopened border after 3 years of closure due to Covid…. Read more »
21. Covid no longer categorized as health emergency
The WHO declared that covid-19 was no longer a “public health emergency of international concern”…. Read more »
LAWS
22. First African country with shared parental leave
South Africa became the first African country to introduce shared parental leave… Read more »
23. Historic elimination of state-imposed forced labour in Uzbekistan
A second consecutive cotton-picking season in Uzbekistan when government-imposed forced labour was NOT used, after it had finally been abolished…. Read more »
24. Indigenous rights boosted in Brazil
Brazil’s Supreme Court rejected efforts to restrict native peoples’ rights to reservations on their ancestral lands…. Read more »
25. Sexual offences law updated in the Netherlands
The Netherlands amended its sexual offences law to recognize that sex without consent is rape…. Read more »
26. Indigenous community wins right to reclaim land in Ecuador
Indigenous community in Ecuador won legal fight to reclaim ancestral land after more than 80 years… Read more »
27. Suicide no longer a crime in four countries
Another step was taken towards breaking the taboo around mental health, when Ghana was one of four countries to have decriminalised suicide in the past year – Malaysia, Guyana and Pakistan are the others…. Read more »
ENERGY TRANSITION
28. World’s largest solar farm activated
The United Arab Emirates launched the world’s largest solar farm, which will power nearly 200,000 homes and eliminate over 2.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually…Read more »
29. Fighting against eco fraud in the Netherlands
The Netherlands’ parliament agreed to halt subsidies to ‘untruthful’ biomass firms who can’t back up their environmental claims…. Read more »
30. Peak oil prediction
IEA forecasted demand for oil for transport being in major decline after 2026, due to shift to cleaner technologies… Read more »
31. Clean energy investment more than fossil fuel investment
For every 1 dollar invested in fossil fuels in 2023, 1.8 dollars was invested in clean energy. Five years ago for every dollar invested in fossil fuels, the same amount was invested in clean energy…. Read more »
32. EV battery prices falling
Electric vehicle battery prices are falling faster than expected, according to new research…. Read more »
33. Most new electricity was renewable
In 2022, 85% of all new electrcity production capacity was from renewable sources… Read more »
34. Record increase in new solar and wind power capacity
In 2022, the world made the largest ever increase in wind and solar new build capacity in one year…. Read more »
35. First green cement that can be used for buildings
The first time a carbon-negative cement got approval that is good enough to build with…. Read more »
36. First green container ship
Denmark launched the world’s ‘first green container ship’…. Read more »
37. Electric car battery recycling breakthrough
Promising’ new breakthrough for recycling EV batteries discovered by Swedish scientists…. Read more »
38. Young Europeans more likely to change lifestyles to save planet
Across Europe, according to a seven-country YouGov/Guardian survey, young people are more willing than older generations to make big lifestyle changes that would help combat the climate crisis … Read more »
39. First fossil fuel-free flight
For the first time ever, a commercial plane flew across the Atlantic Ocean without using fossil fuels…. Read more »
40. More countries sign up to end coal use
The US joined more than 50 other countries in agreeing to end the use of coal … Read more »
41. New pledge to reduce food emissions
For the first time, 134 countries signed a declaration pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from processes related to producing and consuming food…. Read more »
42. Electric vehicles a growing share of car market
Electric vehicles’ share of new car market is projected to be 18% in 2023. It was 4% in 2020. … Read more »
43. China’s carbon emissions expected to decline
China’s carbon emissions could peak this year before declining for the first time from next year after a record surge in clean energy investments, according to research…. Read more »
44. Big investment in carbon removal in the US
The US government announced it was investing $1.2 billion in direct air capture (DAC) technology…. Read more »
45. Nuclear fusion breakthroughs
Significant breakthroughs in fusion, which could one day potentially provide a limitless supply of clean energy…. Read more »
46. Lowest coal use since 1757 in the UK
A new analysis showed that in 2022 UK coal use had fallen to the lowest level for 266 years…. Read more »
47. Cheap train tickets in Germany
Germany introduced a €49 monthly travel ticket to help ease the cost of living and promote the use of public transport…. Read more »
48. US electricity mostly from renewables for first time
US Energy Administration revealed that America generated more electricity from renewable energy than coal for the first time in the previous year…. Read more »
49. Largest offshore wind farm starts producing power
World’s largest offshore wind farm, in the UK, produced power for the first time… Read more »
50. Renewable energy record set in Portugal
Portugal produced more renewable energy than its entire electricity needs for the longest period ever – 149 consecutive hours…. Read more »
51. Europe gets new train routes
New night train routes launched between European countries…. Read more »
WOMEN
52. Paid menstrual leave introduced in Spain
Spain became the first European country to introduce paid menstrual leave for women experiencing painful periods…. Read more »
53. Women finally allowed to vote everywhere
The last state to allow women to vote was the Vatican City, which in 2023 finally granted women the right to vote, meaning that women now finally have the legal right to vote in every single country in the world (although the Taliban has been removing the rights from women in Afghanistan that they first won in the 1960s)… Read more »
54. Game-changing new league for India’s female cricketers
Professional women’s cricket league, the Women’s Premier League (WPL), launched in India…. Read more »
55. More equality in earnings among married couples in the US
Husbands and wives are equal earners in a growing number of US marriages, according to new Pew research…. Read more »
56. Free maternity care to mothers in DRC
Pregnant women across the Democratic Republic of the Congo are now offered free healthcare in an effort to cut the country’s high rates of maternal and neonatal deaths…. Read more »
57. Fewer Brazilian women handwashing the laundry
Brazil is one of the world’s most populated countries, and more households than ever (70%) now have a washing machine – an invention that releases time for women in households almost everywhere!… Read more »
58. Female Leader in Bosnia & H.
First female leader elected as Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina… Read more »
59. Same pay for female sports in Wales
For the first time, Wales’ men’s and women’s senior football players will be paid the same for representing their country…. Read more »
60. More women in parliaments
Globally, 27% of politicians in national parliaments in 2023 were women. Back in 1997, it was just 12%… Read more »
61. Gender gap in science closing
New research showed a sharp increase in gender equality in science…. Read more »
STANDARD OF LIVING
62. More people than ever have clean drinking water
The latest WASH report showed that 2.1 billion people gained access to safely managed drinking water between 2000 and 2022…. Read more »
63. Internet more affordable
In 2023, both data-only mobile broadband and fixed broadband became more affordable in all regions and for all income groups, according to the UN agency, the International Telecommunication Union. … Read more »
64. Mobile Internet masts are almost everywhere
90% of the world’s population lives in an area that is covered by at least a 4G network (38% are covered by 5G). This doesn’t mean that the people can use the service, but at least the infrastructure is in place…. Read more »
65. More than 90% now have electricity
The latest energy progress report showed that 91% of the world’s population now has some access to electricity. Back in 2010, it was 84%…. Read more »
66. More money than ever to help refugees
In 2022, more money than ever before was raised to help refugees: 6 billion dollars. (This is still far from enough, as the UN refigee organizations, even with this budget, only had roughly 1 dollar per refugee per day across the world.)… Read more »
67. Rapid electrification in rural areas
According to the most recent figures released in 2023, between 2019 and 2021, the pace of electrification was rapid in rural areas, where the number of people with access grew by 33 million a year, significantly outpacing population growth… Read more »
68. Seven countries progressed to a higher income group
The post-pandemic recovery resulted in economic growth that moved seven countries into higher World Bank income groups. Only one (Jordan) moved backwards…. Read more »
69. Big decline in poverty in Mexico
The poverty rate in Mexico declined from 49.9% of the population in 2018 to 43.5% in 2022, according to a new report…. Read more »
70. Free sanitary pads in Taiwan’s schools
Taiwan made period products free in all schools and provided additional subsidies for low-income students to purchase supplies they need independently…. Read more »
RIVERS AND LAKES
71. Largest ever re-introduction of an “extinct in the wild” species
Release of 5,000 Polynesian snails was biggest ever release of an ‘extinct in the wild’ species.They had previously been driven away by an invasive species…. Read more »
72. European rivers restored
It was revealed that a record number of river barriers were removed across Europe in 2022, allowing rivers to flow freely and migratory fish to reach breeding areas…. Read more »
73. Paris river to become swimmable for first time in 100 years
For the first time in a century, Paris is making the River Seine swimmable thanks to a major cleaning operation. It should be ready for next year’s Olympics…. Read more »
74. Largest freshwater restoration and protection group adds new countries
38 new countries joined the world’s largest freshwater restoration and protection initiative…. Read more »
75. Historic deal to protect vital water source in US
Seven states in the American west reached an agreement to protect the sustainability of the Colorado river…. Read more »
76. Water vole reintroduction working in UK
A mammal (the water vole) facing extinction is thriving two years after being reintroduced to a Hertfordshire river in the UK…. Read more »
NATURE
77. EU bans goods linked to deforestation
The European Parliament approved a landmark deforestation law to ban imports into the EU of coffee, beef, soy and other commodities if they are linked to the destruction of the world’s forests…. Read more »
78. White rhino return to Congo national park
White rhinos re-introduced to the Garamba national park in Congo 17 years after the last one was killed by poachers. … Read more »
79. Tree-planting holiday in Kenya
First national holiday in Kenya for people to plant trees. 150 million free seedlings available to the public… Read more »
80. Wild tiger numbers increased in India and Bhutan
Wild tiger populations increased in India and Bhutan… Read more »
81. Slower deforestation in Brazilian Amazon
Big declines in deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in 2023…. Read more »
82. Cigarette waste crackdown in Spain
Tobacco companies to be charged to clean up cigarette butts off the streets and beaches of Spain, according to new environmental regulations…. Read more »
83. Plastic waste exports banned by EU
EU agreed to ban exports of plastic waste to poor countries…. Read more »
84. Lands preserved near Grand Canyon in US
US President Biden signed a national monument designation for the greater Grand Canyon, turning the decades-long visions of Native American tribes and environmentalists into reality…. Read more »
85. Antelope conservation triumph in Kazakhstan
The Saiga antelope changed status on the IUCN Red List after populations in Kazakhstan went from 39,000 in 2005 to a population of nearly 2 million today, thanks to conservation efforts…. Read more »
86. Scientists find plastic-eating microbes
Microbes that can digest plastics at low temperatures discovered by scientists in the Alps and the Arctic, which could be a valuable tool in recycling…. Read more »
87. Golden eagles reach record numbers in Scotland
A conservation project to move golden eagles to southern Scotland has helped the population reach the highest number for centuries…. Read more »
88. Oryx back from extinction
The Scimitar-horned Oryx had been classified as “”extinct in the wild”” since 2000, but after they were reintroduced and the focus of conservation efforts in Chad, there are now 600 of them roaming in the wild and their status changed to “”endangered.””… Read more »
OCEANS
89. Big step forward in protection of ocean
Countries signed the High Seas Treaty which aims to protect more of the ocean than ever before…. Read more »
90. Protecting the Great Barrier Reef
Australia rejected a coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef due to risk of ‘irreversible damage’… Read more »
91. Protection for endangered marine species in Australia
A new law to phase out commercial gillnet fishing in the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area by mid-2027 to create new net-free zones to better protect endangered marine species…. Read more »
92. Marine park to triple in size in Australia
Australia signed off on plans to almost triple the size of a marine park off Macquarie Island…. Read more »
93. Oil salvaged from abandoned ‘time bomb’ tanker in Red Sea
A tanker adrift in the Red Sea since 2015 was drained of one million barrels of oil, averting the threat of a disastrous spill…. Read more »
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
94. Saudi Arabia and Iran restore diplomatic ties
Saudi Arabia and Iran exchanged ambassadors, ending a seven-year break in diplomatic relations…. Read more »
95. Hundredth World Heritage site in Africa
Five new sites added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, with Africa meeting the milestone of 100 sites…. Read more »
96. Azerbaijan and Armenia agree to goodwill steps
“”Major breakthrough”” in Armenian and Azerbaijani relations with prisoner swap…. Read more »
97. The laws against ozone depleting gases worked
The ozone layer will be completely healed within two decades, a new assessment revealed…. Read more »
SPACE
98. First Arab woman in space
Saudi Arabian Rayyanah Barnawi made history as the first Arab woman in space…. Read more »
99. India lands spacecraft on moon
India became the fourth country to carry out a landing on the Moon…. Read more »
100. A first for NASA – asteroid samples
After a seven-year mission, NASA scientists got their hands on sampls from an asteroid 97 million kilometers away. They hope it will give them answers about how the Earth and the Solar System were formed…. Read more »