Positive News

The mainstream media often focuses on doom and gloom. But there are as many important, inspiring stories to be aware of. Positive News is an online and print magazine dedicated to constructive journalism—good stories from across the world that empower the reader. Publisher Seán Dagan Wood and his team aim to “help people to understand the world in a way that doesn’t leave them feeling disengaged and helpless.” Says Wood: “It gives people the opportunity to see what progress has already been made so they can be more engaged as informed citizens.” To that effect, the London-based outlet rounded up 10 positive headlines from recent months, showing that, actually, the future looks pretty bright.

Denmark cuts food waste by a quarter in five years.

The Scandinavian nation is one of the leading EU countries to fight against food waste. In 2016, a charity in Copenhagen opened Denmark’s first ever food surplus supermarket, selling products at prices 30–50% cheaper than usual retailers.

Drop in premature deaths for four major non-infectious diseases.

Premature deaths from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease declined by 16% since 2000, according to World Bank data.

Clean jobs are cleaning up in the US. Clean energy jobs in the US

now outnumber positions in oil and gas by 5 to 1. Jobs connected to solar, wind, energy efficiency, smart grid technology, and battery storage outnumber all fossil fuel jobs by more than 2.5 to 1.

More countries have banned the use of wild animals in circuses.

In late 2017, the Indian government banned using wild animals in circus performances, directly followed by Italy. Now, 40 nations have animal circus bans in place.

The tide is turning against wasteful plastic bag use.

Some 40 countries including China, Rwanda, and Italy have now banned, partially banned, or taxed single-use plastic bags. In August 2017, Kenya introduce the world’s toughest plastic bag ban: four years in jail or a $40K (£30K) fine.

Iceland becomes the first country to make equal pay compulsory by law.

The law went into effect on International Women’s Day 2017. Ireland joins other nations to say “frack-off” to fracking. After its senate passed legislation to outlaw the practice, Ireland joined France, Germany, and Bulgaria in banning the controversial drilling technique.

Global child labor falls.

An International Labor Organization report revealed that global child labor has declined sharply: 98M fewer boys and girls were exploited in 2016 than in 2000.

Progress in treating HIV and AIDS.

In July, UNAIDS revealed that half of all people on the planet with HIV are getting treatment— for the first time in history. And, AIDS-related deaths have dropped by half since 2005.

France bans the use of unhealthily thin fashion models.

To protect the health of models working in France, they now need a doctor’s certificate to show overall physical health and body mass index (BMI). Digitally altered photographs must also be labeled as such from October 2017.