Start the New Year inspired with 15 good news stories you may have missed in 2018
Sometimes it is hard to feel optimistic at times in a world saturated by negative media, in particular social media and an abundance of ‘fake news’. When negative stories sell and are frequently served up on our screens, it’s easy to develop a cynical view of the world.
Fear not! It’s not all doom and gloom. To put a spring in your step and start the new year with a positive mind set, we’ve got a bunch of global good news stories you may have missed in 2018 to restore your faith in society. Get ready to feel inspired in 2019!
Making a difference to the environment
- The likes of Kellogs, Nestle and Coca Cola have committed to reducing waste! Some of the world’s biggest brands are set to ensure all of their plastic packaging will be reused, composted or recycled by 2025. (BBC)
- We all banded together in Australia to reduce plastic bag usage in 2018, along with the ban from Coles and Woolworths. The result? We cut down by 80% in only three months. This saved around 1.5 billion bags! (NY Post)
- It’s always devastating to hear of animals becoming endangered, but last year saw an increase in one of the world’s most endangered species. Central Africa’s mountain gorillas are reported to have seen a 25% rise in their population over the last 8 years! (Reuters)
- If you’ve been worried about the hole in the ozone layer, you can relax a little. The United Nations believe that by the 2030s the ozone hole over the Arctic and northern hemisphere will be healed over! The rest of the world could see the ozone hole repaired by 2060. (Gizmodo)
We continue to care in global health
- Thanks to the training of 3,000 nurses in around 500 health clinics, Rwanda has become the first low income country to deliver universal eye care across its population. (Global Citizen)
- Malaria is the second most deadly communicable disease in the world, but the outlook is improving. For example, in the last ten years Tanzania has reduced its rate of malaria deaths by 53% in children and 50% in adults. (Borgen)
- Another promising piece of news on malaria, with the World Health Organisation certifying that Paraguay has eliminated malaria. (WHO)
- Maternal deaths have declined by 22% in India in the last five years, meaning that an average of approximately 30 additional mums are being saved each day since 2013.(The Wire)
Looking after each other
- Discrimination is continuing to be denounced over the world, with Pakistan passing a law to protect the rights of transgender citizens and ensure employers cannot discriminate in any way. (Al Jazeera)
- Corporal punishment for children, such as caning, has been outlawed in Nepal, making them the 54th country in the world to do so and the first in South Asia. (End Corporal Punishment
- In a move towards gender equality, Tunisia has become the first Arab nation to ensure that women and men receive equal inheritance by law.(Dhaka Tribune)
- In Lebanon, it has been ruled that homosexuality is not a crime – a major milestone for the Middle East when it comes to human rights. (Beirut)
Lifting global living standards
- Nine out of ten teenagers in Mexico, China, India, Nigeria and Kenya report feeling positive about the future in a global youth survey. Young people across all countries are more optimistic than adults.(Guardian)
- Over 80 million toilets have been built in India since 2014, continuing to deliver improved sanitation to the region. (Arkansas Democrat Gazette)
- Suicide rates across the world have reduced by 38% since 1994. This equates to around four million lives saved. (The Economist)
If this taste of good news stories has got you feeling great about what the future holds, there’s plenty more to discover! Take a look at these 99 good news stories you probably didn’t hear about in 2018. And don’t forget, we can all make a difference – in fact, you are making a difference in lives every day working in child care or aged and disability care.
