International community milestones | Good News for Humankind

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.

A community health worker treats a child in a rural village for an article about neglected tropical diseases

Humanity cuts neglected tropical diseases to less than 1% of 2000 levels

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

Neglected tropical diseases could fall below 1% of their year-2000 levels by 2041, the WHO projects, with five diseases fully eradicated and twelve others eliminated as public health problems. The shift began with the 2021 roadmap’s pivot toward country-led, community-rooted care. If it holds, it would mark one of the most sweeping health gains in human history.

A child receiving a vaccine in a rural clinic for an article about child mortality rate, for article on child mortality rate

Global child mortality rate drops below 2.5% for the first time

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

Global child mortality could fall below 2.5% by 2040, meaning fewer than 25 in every 1,000 children worldwide would die before age five. The rate already dropped from about 9% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2022, driven by malaria vaccines, midwife training, and clean water. If it holds, nearly two million more kids reach their fifth birthday each year.

A diverse group of women in a legislative chamber for an article about women in parliament

Women hold 40% of the world’s parliamentary seats for the first time

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

Women in parliament could reach 40% globally by 2040, a milestone the Inter-Parliamentary Union has long called a turning point for democratic representation. The figure sat at 27.5% in 2026, but enforcement-backed quotas and a new generation of voters are quietly accelerating the climb. If it holds, half the world finally gets a real seat at the table.

Earth's atmosphere glowing blue from space for an article about ozone layer recovery, for article on Montreal Protocol ozone layer, for article on HCFC atmospheric decline

Global ozone layer reaches 1980 levels for the first time in decades

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

Earth’s ozone layer could return to 1980 levels by 2040, marking the first time a planet-scale atmospheric system damaged by industry has been measurably healed. Emissions of ozone-depleting chemicals have already fallen more than 99% from their peak, tracking the UN’s 2023 recovery projection. If it holds, it’s proof that coordinated global action really can mend what we’ve broken.

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.

Pregnant woman, for article on maternal mortality ratio, for article on maternal mortality ratio

Global maternal mortality drops below 100 per 100,000 live births for the first time

By Peter Schulte / January 14, 2026 / Archive of Human Genius

Global maternal mortality could fall below 100 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2039, a threshold once thought unreachable. Today the ratio sits near 197, with India already down from 384 in 2000 to 103 in 2020. If the trend holds, roughly 130,000 more women each year would survive pregnancy and childbirth.

Women leaders gathered at an international summit for an article about female heads of state

One-third of the world’s nations are led by female heads of state

By Peter Schulte / January 14, 2026 / Archive of Human Genius

Female heads of state could lead 68 countries—one-third of UN members—by 2039, more than doubling the 2025 record of 29. The momentum is already visible: over 110 nations have adopted gender quotas in the past decade, and women now hold 41% of parliamentary seats globally. If it holds, a question that defined a century of politics may finally be settled.

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.

A green sea turtle swimming above a seagrass meadow for an article about green sea turtle recovery

Green sea turtles are no longer endangered, IUCN confirms

By Peter Schulte / October 17, 2025 / Good News For Humankind

Green sea turtle recovery marks a major conservation milestone, as the IUCN removed the species from its endangered list for the first time in decades. The 2025 reassessment found nesting populations have grown significantly since the 1970s, driven by legal protections, beach patrols, marine protected areas, and preservation of the seagrass meadows turtles depend on. The recovery spans dozens of countries and combines satellite science, Indigenous ecological knowledge, and community stewardship. Threats including bycatch and climate change remain, but this achievement offers a documented model for what sustained, cooperative conservation effort can accomplish.