The headliners of this decade has been overwhelming. The Pew Research Center has found that seven in ten Americans feel “worn out” by the news as of this year. The 2010’s have seen the Republican’s win for the White House, genocides, severe climate change and more major changes that have created a massive impact in the world we live in today. In an era where we are constantly surrounded by news on our phones, it is easy to feel defeated.
Although it is difficult to do so when we often see discouraging headliners, it can be beneficial to recognize the positive news. According to researchers at University of Pennsylvania, “individuals who watched just three minutes of negative news in the morning had a whopping 27% greater likelihood of reporting their day as unhappy six to eight hours later compared to the positive condition”
Though it seems like this decade has been full of misfortune, there’s actually more to it than headliner-after-headliner of bad news. Here’s some examples:
Terrorism attacks are on the decline
Deaths by terrorism have decreased by 52% compared to its peak in 2014, according to the newly released 2019 annual Global Attack Index report. Additionally, attacks by the Islamic State have decreased by 69%. There has been a consistent decrease in deaths by ISIL since 2016, which used to be the main group making headliners all over the world. At its 2014 peak ISIL had controlled over 34,000 square miles of land in Syria and Iraq, but currently they have lost over 40% of the land they previously had.
The grip on plastic bag usage have now been tighter
Many counties and countries have been taking action towards the use of plastic bags starting around 2017, which is one of the most used single-use plastic. They create a large environmental impact on the environment, forcing action needing to be taken. In August 2017, Kenya passed a plastic bag ban, fining perpetrators a $40,000 fine or serve four years in jail. Cities such as Chicago have placed taxes on plastic bags, which have led to significantly lower bag usage that continues today.
Child mortality rate has significantly decreased
The frequency of under-five mortality, or commonly known as child mortality, has declined globally according to UNICEF’s annual report. It has been cut by 59%, from a whopping 76 deaths per 1,000 children in 2000 to around 39 deaths per 1,000 children in 2018. This issue occurs everywhere, but it is mostly prevalent in poorer areas, especially in sub-Saharan African countries. Although this issue has not been completely eradicated, it ends the decade off with a positive note for children worldwide.
HIV-related deaths are down
Deaths from HIV in 2018 have decreased significantly, with it being 33% lower than 2010’s 1.2 million deaths. The decrease has been attributed to access to better care for HIV/AIDS suffers, as more drugs have been developed through further research. Additionally, stigma around the disease has been down for sufferers recently, however, it is not at zero. Though the AIDS crisis still continues today, tremendous strides have been made these past ten years.
Though it is easy to feel discouraged by the news this past decade, don’t forget that there are many positive news that have made headliners.
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