Humankind milestones from around the world

Man installing solar panels, for article on solar PV growth

Solar’s 2025 growth is the largest ever recorded for any energy source

By Peter Schulte / May 1, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Solar power just had its biggest year ever, adding 600 terawatt-hours to the global energy supply in 2025 — more than a quarter of all energy growth worldwide and the largest single-year jump any electricity technology has ever recorded. Battery storage quietly hit its own milestone too, with 110 gigawatts added in a single year, outpacing the best year natural gas has ever had. Meanwhile, electric vehicle sales topped 20 million, already nudging down global road fuel demand. Together, renewables and nuclear met nearly 60% of new energy demand. The takeaway is hopeful but honest: clean energy is finally outpacing fossil fuels in the places that matter most, even as the work of decarbonizing shipping, aviation, and heavy industry still lies ahead.

Sea turtle, for article on ocean protection milestone

More than 10% of the world’s oceans now officially protected

By Peter Schulte / April 22, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Ocean protection just crossed a historic line: as of April 2026, 10.01% of the world’s seas are officially designated as protected, up from 8.6% just two years ago. That leap represents roughly 5 million square kilometers of newly safeguarded waters — an expanse larger than the entire European Union. The milestone fulfills a promise the world first made back in 2010, and it arrived thanks to thousands of small wins: national designations, community-led projects, and Indigenous stewardship of some of the most intact marine ecosystems on Earth. With the UN High Seas Treaty now in force, nations finally have a legal pathway to protect international waters. The next push — tripling coverage by 2030 — is daunting, but the tools to get there finally exist.

Solar panels and wind turbines generating clean electricity for an article about renewable energy capacity

Renewables hit 49% of global power capacity for the first time

By Peter Schulte / April 12, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Renewable energy capacity crossed a landmark threshold in 2025, with global installed power surpassing 5,100 gigawatts and representing 49% of all capacity worldwide for the first time in history. The International Renewable Energy Agency reported a single-year addition of 692 gigawatts, led overwhelmingly by solar power, which alone accounted for 75% of new renewable installations. Clean energy now represents 85.6% of all new power capacity added globally, signaling that the transition has moved from aspiration to economic reality. The milestone carries implications beyond climate — nations with strong renewable bases demonstrated measurably greater energy security amid ongoing geopolitical instability.

A person sitting quietly on a bench at sunset, for an article about global suicide rate decline — 15 words.

Global suicide rate has dropped nearly 40% since the 1990s

By Peter Schulte / April 10, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Global suicide rates have dropped nearly 40% since the early 1990s, falling from roughly 15 deaths per 100,000 people to around nine — one of modern public health’s most significant and underreported victories. This decline was driven by expanded mental health services, crisis intervention programs, and proven strategies like restricting access to lethal means. The progress spans dozens of countries, with especially sharp declines in East Asia and Europe. Critically, this trend demonstrates that suicide is preventable at a population level — making the case for sustained investment in mental health infrastructure worldwide.

A lush green valley with people walking on a trail for an article about environmental protection over economic growth

New survey finds 86% of people worldwide prioritize nature over economic growth

By Peter Schulte / March 19, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Environmental protection is a near-universal priority, according to a landmark global survey covering more than 22,000 people across 22 countries. A striking 86% of respondents said governments should prioritize protecting the environment over economic growth when the two conflict — a majority in every single country surveyed. The findings challenge the long-held political assumption that the public will trade environmental protection for jobs and growth. Consistent across wealthy and lower-income nations alike, the data suggests that concern for nature is not a luxury value but something closer to a shared human one.

A researcher examines lab samples under blue light for an article about HIV cure research — 12 words

Humanity ends the HIV/AIDS epidemic in landmark global achievement

By Peter Schulte / February 6, 2026 / Archive of Human Genius

The HIV/AIDS epidemic could officially end by 2054, when UNAIDS projects new infections will fall below the global threshold for epidemic control. The path is already visible: long-acting injectables, community health workers, and generic drugs under $20 a year are reshaping care today. If it holds, it’s proof that sustained collective effort can unmake even the cruelest diseases.

Empty pedestrian-friendly city street with protected bike lanes for an article about Vision Zero traffic fatalities

Global Vision Zero commitment cuts traffic fatalities by 50% since 1995

By Peter Schulte / January 19, 2026 / Archive of Human Genius

Road traffic deaths could fall more than 50% worldwide by 2042, if the Vision Zero movement that began in Sweden in 1995 continues its current spread. Already, over 90 countries have adopted the framework, and thousands of cities have lowered urban speed limits. If the trajectory holds, millions of families will be spared a preventable loss.

A young child eating a nutritious meal in a sunlit community setting for an article about child malnutrition eliminated

Humanity effectively eliminates child malnutrition for the first time in history

By Peter Schulte / January 17, 2026 / Archive of Human Genius

Child malnutrition could be effectively eliminated as a global public health emergency by 2041, according to a projection from the UN and World Food Programme. Global stunting rates in children under five sat near 22% in the mid-2020s, and sustained progress on the first 1,000 days of life is what makes the path credible. If it holds, hundreds of millions of children would grow up with futures their grandparents couldn’t have imagined.

Cooling towers of a coal power plant at sunset for an article about coal phase-out

Humanity shuts down its last coal-fired power plant

By Peter Schulte / January 16, 2026 / Archive of Human Genius

Coal-fired power could vanish worldwide by 2040, when the last plant — a 74-year-old facility in China’s Shanxi Province — is projected to go dark. Global coal capacity already peaked around 2022, as solar and wind became the cheapest new electricity in history. If the trend holds, cleaner air and roughly 800,000 fewer pollution deaths each year would follow.

Solar panels in a large open field at sunset for an article about renewable energy capacity tripling

The world is on track to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030

By Peter Schulte / November 10, 2025 / Good News For Humankind

Renewable energy tripling is now within reach, with the world on track to hit the global goal set at COP28 in 2023. For the fourth straight year, record amounts of wind and solar capacity are being added worldwide, growing at more than twice the annual rate needed to reach the target by 2030. Solar power is leading the surge, now the cheapest source of new electricity in most of the world. The milestone matters because it signals a fundamental shift in how humanity generates power — and because cleaner, cheaper domestic energy strengthens national security and household budgets alongside reducing emissions.