Humankind milestones from around the world

Illustration of many electric cars charging

Gasoline-only cars drop below 50% of global sales for first time on record

By Peter Schulte / October 9, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Gasoline-only cars are losing their grip as fuel prices jump, but the shift is more complicated than a clean break from gas. Hybrids took about 18% of new car sales in the first half of 2026, edging out battery-electric cars at 17%, and hybrids still burn gasoline. Electric sales fell in China and North America even as they rose 32% in Europe. The data covers six months of an oil price shock, so it may not hold if fuel prices fall.

Solar panel costs have plummeted from $6 to 12 cents per watt since 2000

By Peter Schulte / September 17, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

A single number is quietly reshaping how electricity gets made and sold worldwide: solar panel costs have fallen more than 98% since the early 2000s, driven largely by Chinese manufacturing scale. That collapse has made solar cheap enough for a Pakistani cement plant to cut its power bill by 40%, for Filipino homeowners to pay off rooftop systems in three years, and for over five million Indian households to install panels through a national subsidy program. But the same shift is straining power grids and utility finances, and in places like Karachi, shifting costs onto those who can’t afford solar.

Plant growing out of coins, representing the green economy, for article on green economy growth

Green economy surpasses $10 trillion, becomes world’s third-largest industry

By Peter Schulte / September 4, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Clean technology has quietly crossed into the financial mainstream, and the scale of that shift is striking. Green companies now outperform the broader global market, and those earning most of their revenue from environmental products carry profit margins two to four percentage points higher than conventional peers — directly challenging the old assumption that clean business means thinner returns. Much of the momentum is coming from an unexpected place: data centers run by major tech firms drove nearly half of U.S. clean power deals in 2025. Yet canceled projects remain a reminder that permitting and grid access are stubborn obstacles.

Batteries, for article on lithium-ion battery costs

Battery costs have declined by 99% worldwide over three decades

By Peter Schulte / August 16, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Battery storage — once the missing link in the clean energy transition — is finally arriving at scale, and the numbers behind it are hard to overstate. A learning curve built from millions of small improvements in chemistry and manufacturing has made what once seemed impossible feel routine. What was an extraordinary expense in 1991 now costs a fraction of that, pulling electric vehicles, home storage, and grid-scale power into reach for far more people. Supply chain pressures and raw material constraints mean progress isn’t guaranteed — but the direction, so far, is undeniable.

Solar panels and wind turbines generating clean electricity for an article about renewable energy capacity, for article on 3-terawatt solar milestone

Humanity quietly crosses massive 3-terawatt solar power milestone

By Peter Schulte / August 7, 2026 / Good News For Humankind

Solar power’s three-terawatt milestone tells a story of acceleration that’s hard to fully absorb — the third terawatt arrived in under two years, faster than any previous phase of the boom. Countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and the Philippines are now seeing real solar growth, and the number of nations with at least one gigawatt installed nearly doubled between 2020 and 2025. But the technology’s falling costs haven’t been matched by accessible financing in lower-income countries, leaving millions still waiting. Whether this transformation reaches everyone — not just the wealthiest nations — is the question the next decade will answer.

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.

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 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.