The press mostly reports on bad things, so I was really happy to read the BBC's Hans Rosling: How Much Do You Know About the World. It presents 5 good things that are going on globally.
My favorite is the first fact, which is about the rapid decline in global population growth. Key quote:
It's a largely untold story - gradually, steadily the demographic forces that drove the global population growth in the 20th Century have shifted. Fifty years ago the world average fertility rate - the number of babies born per woman - was five. Since then, this most important number in demography has dropped to 2.5 - something unprecedented in human history - and fertility is still trending downwards. It's all thanks to a powerful combination of female education, access to contraceptives and abortion, and increased child survival.
The net effect of this massive shift (massive by demographic standards) in global fertility rates is the world's population will likely peak at about 9 billion later this century and then steadily decline.
There's even a school of thought that says there may be fewer people on the planet 150 years from now than there are today.
This is my favorite because so few people follow demographic trends - and so many people think global population growth is shooting up and totally out of control.
The other 4 good facts are:
- The Developed and Developing Worlds are Gone
- People are Much Healthier
- Girls are Getting Better Education
- The End of Extreme Poverty is in Sight
Read the article for details on the facts.
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