Optimistic Observer 09/19/24
By Capital Investment Counsel - September 19, 2024
UNAIDS says ending AIDS pandemic by 2030 within reach and a new "miracle" AIDS prevention drug.
In 1995, new HIV infections reached a peak of 3.3 million. A UNAIDS report finds that number dropped by 60% to 1.3 million in 2023, with a record 30.7 million people accessing treatment. There's also been a 69% fall in deaths since 2004, and since 2010, new HIV infections among children have declined by 62%.
This summer, delegates at the International AIDS Conference last week 'lept tp their feet in delight' after results were shared from one of the most promising HIV prevention trials in the history of the epidemic—a twice-yearly injection of lenacapavir (Gilead) that prevented 100% of new HIV infections among 2,134 women aged 16 to 25. Read more here and here.
Global climate pollution may have just peaked.
China’s possible carbon peak is excellent news—and builds on data showing the entire planet’s climate pollutants are falling. Total emissions fell between February 2024 and May 2024 compared to the same period last year.
As a November 2023 report from the climate science and policy institute Climate Analytics put it: “there is a 70% chance that emissions start falling in 2024 if current clean technology growth trends continue and some progress is made to cut non-CO2 emissions. This would make 2023 the year of peak emissions.” Read more here and here.
Yellow dye solution makes tissue transparent on living animals
Scientists found that rubbing a common food dye on the skin of a mouse in a lab enabled them to see, with the naked eye, through the skin to the internal organs. The treated skin regained its normal color after the dye was washed off. Researchers hope the procedure could eventually be used to help locate injuries or tumors in humans without the side effects associated with CT scans and MRIs. Read more here.
Exoskeletons arrive in the leisure industry
A US-based outdoor apparel company is now offering a strength-boosting exoskeleton built into hiking pants, available sometime in 2025. The powered pants feature a lightweight electric motor at the knee that boosts a hiker’s leg strength when going uphill while also absorbing the impact of steps during a descent. For "only" $4,500, you can feel 30 lbs lighter when you hike. Read more here.
Another reminder that good news happens slowly and not always in a straight line. But when you zoom out you see things like:
"Human rights have improved in all world regions over the last century"
Ranging from 0 (least rights) to 1 (most), the Varieties of Democracy 'Human Rights Index' examines the extent to which people are free from government torture, political killings, and forced labor and enjoy freedoms of movement, religion, expression, and association. Every region in the world scores significantly higher today than 100 years ago, with Europe leading the charge. Read more here.
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