The Good News You Might Have Missed | Angus Hervey | TED

Whether or not you believe the world is doomed might depend on where you get your news, says journalist Angus Hervey. He delivers stories of progress that mainstream media organizations missed last year - from advances in clean energy to declining rates of extreme poverty, crime and disease - and suggests we should pay more attention to such occurrences. "If we want more people to devote themselves to the task of making progress, then maybe we should be telling more people that it's possible to make progress," says Hervey.
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• The Good News You Migh...
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[@abeeceedee599]

An interesting quote from this talk: "If we want more people to devote themselves to the task of making progress, that it's possible to make progress. If you're halfway up the mountain, you don't just stare at the top and say, oh my gosh, it looks so steep. You look back and you remind yourselves how far we've already come."

[@lmph5375]

Yes, this quote was my biggest takeaway. ❤

[@kaelynkingi9266]

This is my new favourite TEDTalk. It's where I found the hope I misplaced during COVID. Thank you, Angus.

[@patrickquine3945]

One of the biggest Cognitive Biases we all suffer from is Negativity Bias. Basically every creature with a nervous system has evolved to respond more strongly to negative stimuli than positive stimuli. Our media and social media work off this - "if it bleeds it leads". The algorithms know this - it's called engagement by enragement.

[@mityaboy4639]

Yes, you are right, and there is a good reason for that. Negative things can kill you, while positive things are "normal". It is of course normal that there is food and water and air and a place to sleep. Neither of those threaten your survival. But lack of any one of these are a risk and therefore needs more attention. Besides; you can't "sell" the normal things anyway, this thing is just wired into our existence. Noone is going to listen to a newsreport if you say "310 million people had their 3 meals today in our country / continent" ... but if you say "20 million people had to skip at least one meal" now thats getting some attention. And it isn't even the fault of MSM. its just us. But I also would say; this is actually important for us to know where to improve. Think about it this way: If we tell that 1000 people died in car accidents this year, then we can investigate what caused those deaths and how we can prevent it next time... while if you report that "over one billion car journeys this year resulted in zero deaths" or "there were 50000 car accidents and 75000 people survived them... you could mask out important issues which would need our attention. So it is not just natural it isn't just exploited for more sale, it is in fact important for us to get better at things. Using the video example above: if we were not reporting or made aware that the amazon rain forest is being chopped down, then we would not _act_ to stop it. If you don't know its happening, you would not feel outraged, you would not demand change etc. Same with animal numbers recovering. If we would not know that poaching took out majority of the elephants then we could not stop them. All positive change in previously dire situations are a result of reports (and sometimes overinflated reports) of negative things which were later addressed and acted upon. [i am not fighting you, just expanding your original comment about why negative bias is important and goes just beyond media hype even in cases which are not life threatening for us.] :)

[@jeremy2787]

Damn. How much effort is placed into this Ted talk? There's the research in acquiring and interpreting the data, the preparation of the presentation so that it stays coherent and keeps people attentive (including me) and also the animation that keeps the information light and meaningful. Overall, its very informative in highlighting the positivity in those achievements being made.

[@incognito595]

We have to Always Remember the Negatives in his statistics, though. Because those stats are the one's that Pose A Danger To Us. Don't kid yourself. Things ARE GETTING WORSE.

[@jeremy2787]

@@incognito595 I'm already aware of that. While there's many bad things going on, it's nice to have someone sharing positive strides made in this world

[@BILALKNAKA]

Angus Hervey's talk is a refreshing reminder that amidst the chaos, there are countless positive stories that often go unnoticed. It's inspiring to see the innovative solutions and progress being made worldwide. Let's amplify these good news stories and spread optimism! 🌟

[@chuchuman1163]

Yes, I agree with you 100%. We should try to spread more optimism.

[@LieveLeysen-Discover-]

Totally agree 😊

[@RockyTheFlyingSquirrel]

"We are not doomed". AMEN, BROTHER. 💚💚💚

[@kinsmed]

TED Talks never stops surprising me.

[@darinherrick9224]

The first step in solving a problem is believing that it can be solved.

[@rigodon97]

That's called wishful thinking. Doesn't lead very far in real life.

[@FoolsGil]

This was something I needed to hear.

[@evelina733]

Thank you! And thanks to all the people who don’t give up in these difficult times and still progress and do good for humanity❤️

[@Brinaweenahwoo]

News is strategically attuned to your inate "fear, stop, pay attention" reflex. Then, once we hear it, it plays an outside importance in our mental space. Shocking headlines sell way more newspapers and get more eyeballs than positive headlines.

[@NicholasWilliams-kd3eb]

That business model (cycling destruction for attention based ad revenue) is the process by which US Tech companies dominate the market. He is right, companies and govs need to stop harvest individuals personal data, stop waging psychological war for attention based ad revenue, and make the world a better place. :)

[@rigodon97]

Yeah... Don't look up!

[@NicholasWilliams-kd3eb]

@@rigodon97 It's worse than that, they are stealing your personal data, using the analytics to cycle conflict. Killing little children for profit.

[@bozhidarmihaylov]

I have knowledge about every example mentioned, but bringing all of ‘em together rewards you with the whole picture showing it strength. Well done, thank you!

[@MarioRobles93]

Same, very few things presented here were new to me. Seeing them all together with no negativity in between, makes the future look as bright as it should be.

[@rigodon97]

🤦‍♂️

[@bozhidarmihaylov]

😂

[@vcat417]

So true. Always check your sources of news.

[@NicholasWilliams-kd3eb]

A.I is more being used for conflict amplification for (ad revenue) by big tech corps that peoples steal personal data. We still don't have cures for cancer. Healthy focus isn't about say "Look what we accomplished" but rather what problems can we figure out.

[@jhunt5578]

When you stop listening to news and start listening to the facts. This becomes your world view. Yes we have challenges, but the progress we are making is staggering.

[@madelineschramm2657]

I needed to hear this today. Thank you, Angus Hervey. I hadn’t heard of most of the things he was saying in this talk. It’s a shame. I wish the media would spend as much time talking about the positive stuff as they do all the negatives.

[@floranceflorance4531]

Your work in bringing these stories to light is a beacon of hope and a powerful reminder that progress is not only possible but is happening around us. It encourages individuals like myself to continue striving for improvement and to believe in the collective power of humanity to overcome challenges.

[@rowematthew2667]

You have no idea how much I needed to hear this... I will be sharing it with all my students

[@Estiaan]

We need more hope than ever!! Thank you for adding to mine.

[@Mozzarella-and-Tomato]

Love this so much, thanks for sharing this❤

[@SibylleLeon]

Wonderful! Thank you ❤

[@Jaacck45]

Such Wonderful News - Amen 🙏🏾

[@christagrace-warrick2368]

I'm speechless - well done!

[@lesliestratton536]

Why won’t the “mainstream” news report on this…should be on every night and on other social media sources daily!

[@dott.fabiomobilia7736]

Fantastic talk! Greetings from Italy

[@sashamagician]

Excellent thank you !!

[@VonKraut]

This reminds me of Steven Pinker's book Better Angels of our Nature. It has a similar theme of how things are generally getting better in almost every way, but most of the time we don't hear about it on the news.

[@cosmiccreator]

Wonderful! Thank you! We need this! 🎉❤🎉

[@aquiatic]

Wonderful stuff. We need more of this

[@XxsxhxrxA-f]

Glad to hear tht these things are also happening in the world ❤

[@chuchuman1163]

I really like what Angus Hervey said in this Ted Talk. I usually tend to hear some negative stuff on the news a lot and that tends to stress me out a bit so I do find it a bit refreshing to hear some good news every once in a while. Now for some people who are saying that there lots of things that are getting worse in the world I just want to say that while those may be true we should in my opinion at least try to see the positive in some things, especially the things that we can control.

[@EcomCarl]

Highlighting these achievements can make shifts the narrative towards hope and positivity and could also motivate innovation and collaboration in tackling the world's pressing issues. 🌍

[@vcat417]

Bravo!!

[@mohammadariyanrad4781]

I am just glad KZbin suggests these. We really need to watch the bright sight here and there. The glass is not completely empty...

[@internationalstudentJun]

Thank you for making the amazing presentation. Despite many challenges which humanity are facing, we are making progress. People who realize the fact must tell people who feel despair and make it possible to make more progress.

[@jeffreybarrett3151]

Thank you!

[@lawrencefrost9063]

You are on point.

[@chosenone599]

Thank you Angus!

[@darzsavariz8563]

This just made me teary-eyed 🥲☺

[@lmph5375]

Me too! 😅 In a good way.

[@joeltemp]

Amazing, this got me teary-eyed :)

[@Megaman8880]

Well, that was nice. Good way to start the morning.

[@user-jx3zp7zj4y]

Well; my day is starting off very nicely now. Thank you. :)

[@anyfriendofkevinbaconisafr177]

He literally started by reinforcing the panic

[@petercornell2002]

South Africa has had reproductive rights in its constitution for 20 years now. Common misconception.

[@SaurabhKarpe-vq3og]

Hi sir I am fan of you 🙏🙏🙏

[@mariaantoniettamontella9173]

super

[@kairi4640]

We'll see how positive he is next year lol.

[@jkbrogden74]

I liked 90% of the good news he shared. I wish it were shared more but TED is a great platform. Not one mention of religious freedom?

[@annaynely]

The spider's web: Britain's second empire.

[@user-hx8ym3ph2s]

This is an amazing talk. I hope to see more positivity like this.

[@hardheadjarhead]

I need this. I know I have cognitive bias, but for all that it’s HARD fighting all the negatively in the news.

[@serendipitytwo777]

Really needed this right now. War's across the planet are frightening. I wish positive news was more mainstream.

[@lanacolquitt7266]

I quit watching mainstream years ago. I haven't missed a thing. It's all propaganda anyway...very little truth ever told anyway. They're bought out so to keep people feeling bad or worse. Do yourself a favor and quit watching it.

[@chuchuman1163]

I agree.

[@Tazinian]

The people who want to rise to power enforce fear-mongering, xenophobia, and negativity to gain attention for themselves. We need more positivity from every angle.

[@rodimail]

Where does he get these reports from ??

[@shawn80]

people they pay to have charts that support their narratives

[@dagforster7627]

He's not a journalist. Journalists want you to be scared and angry.

[@tgwalrus]

@@shawn80 It's in the interest of everyone on the planet for as many people as possible to believe the world can change for the better. There is a point where skepticism becomes cynicism.

[@rigodon97]

Still no sources though ​@@tgwalrus

[@brendatajik6150]

Interesting....I would love to know how I can access sources. Maybe there is a "good news" website I could subscribe to!

[@lizm6237]

There is a newsletter. Called FIX THE NEWS. Some of the subscription $$ go to fund projects.

[@Welcome-421]

Simplify your life. Seek peace instead of people’s approval. Choose to focus only on thoughts that encourage peaceful and positive actions that affirm the life that you want to live.

[@someRandomNameHere]

The world is still a beautiful place ❣️

[@KristinPedemonti]

Thank you Angus for pointing out the massive amounts of good news happening all around us while also acknowledging the rough stuff too. So much is possible when we look beyond doom & gloom. I begin every day reading Daily Good, which today led me to your Talk, 😊 and Nice News. Both sources share legit good news across a variety of sectors and science. These stories of good from across the planet keep many of us going.

[@Kelty0656]

Feels good, to watch though I don't exactly share his optimism about clean energy and transport in the future...

[@vrdacosta00]

👍👏👏♥️

[@claudiacornejo8583]

It’s great to listen this. This is the type of news I like. Let’s focus on what we can do👏👏👏👏👏

[@mymateian]

Nice closing: “The Stories of the brave and the brilliant also deserve our attention.”

[@David__Garcia]

He forgot to mention that Nvidia stock is up

[@Lambert7785]

it's so good to hear the positive news, instead of the negative :)

[@Dasistrite]

Maybe some of the good news are causing the bad ones?

[@user-jo4ho9kw4v]

It’s two sides of a coin. Crisis could be a chance in another view.

[@Matt-kt9nm]

Yikes!

[@LieveLeysen-Discover-]

🙏🏻😇💖✨🌈✨💖😇🙏🏻

[@vikasrajracharla9689]

does covid been a reason for us to improve the reasoning of human about nature and humanity

[@Thehulkster375]

It’s great that more women are in school and reproductive rights, but for that to be the only thing the crowd claps about is absolutely ridiculous. All of that good news and the only thing that gets a clap is something pertaining to women.

[@AshishAwaghad]

when did Peter Diamandis start looking like this?

[@2CSST2]

More and more people are gonna start looking like Peter Diamandis as it becomes more and more difficult to deny the facts: The world is progressing for the better

[@Pastanut]

I think the title for this should be "We are not doomed!" Got me right in the gut.

[@oohwha]

Really hope this is all true... a lot of worrisome information regarding the insane energy and water demands of A.I. hardware and the datacenters that will house it. Hopefully Elon is wrong and we won't see electricity shortages the next 4 years while the grid "catches up to the increased demand".

[@solarwind907]

Angus, thank you for your talk on good news/things to be thankful for. I do appreciate it. However, I am trying to understand the facts. You state that carbon emissions in some countries have dropped to the same rate as they were 50 years ago. When I look at atmospheric carbon dioxide on the keeling curve, in 1975 the data tells us there was about 330 ppm. Now we are at about 424 ppm. last year we passed 1.5°C temperature rise when compared to preindustrial baseline for the average world temperature. If you look at the data that’s coming out in peer reviewed papers, the analysis is pretty clear that we’re heading towards at least 3°C warming in the 2050s. Again, we need to look at the bright side of things, and I really do appreciate you pointing them out. However, I think your information on carbon emissions is misleading and could cause people to think everything is headed in the right direction when it most definitely is not. I think it would be helpful to your audience if you could post links to your references in the show notes. That way we could look things up for ourselves and gain a greater understanding. Thank you very much,

[@307alexk]

It's definitely misleading, but most of the dire consequences and temperature rise can start to be ruled out based on the trajectory that the world is on. Yes, the Keeling curve keeps rising, but if you asked the IEA what emissions would look like 25 years ago, I don't think they would have predicted falling emissions in Western countries, and peaking emissions in China. I challenge your view that everything isn't heading in the right direction - we may not be moving as quick as you think we should be, but the trends are indeed moving in the right direction. We're not on track for 3C by 2050... if you believe the IPCC and the trajectory that we're currently on, the consensus is that we're on track for 2-3C by 2100 (with about half of the warming already taking place).

[@solarwind907]

@@307alexk I don't believe the IPCC. They're overly optimistic. Have you considered what happens when the methane and CO2 releases from melting permafrost go into feedback loop mode? When that happens even if we were to burn zero fossil fuels the earth will still be emitting them. Same with arctic and antarctic sea ice extent. At some point the feedback loops just take off and good luck stopping them. Marine Cloud Brightening, if employed ASAP and massively can help us with increasing the albedo of the atmosphere over the oceans. Massive installation of wind and solar can help us slow the rise of the keeling curve. We can solve this problem but we're not. So I'm not sure what trends you're talking about. To me it's like there's a maniac starting houses on fire. The good news is he's slowing down. the bad news is now the on-fire houses are starting to catch other houses on fire. When the maniac runs out of matches, will the house fires reach critical mass when they just continue lighting new fires on their own? And be unstoppable? That's where we're headed.

[@solarwind907]

@@307alexk if you look at the data, you’ll realize that the IPcc conclusions are optimistic fairytales. As the permafrost melts, methane, and carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere without help from the burning of fossil fuels. We’re close to a positive feedback loop. Period. Same thing with the ice extent near the poles. As the ice melts and the albedo decreases the blue oceans soak up more solar radiation. At some point soon, another positive feedback loop. Appreciate your thoughtful comment. Wish I was wrong. Massive installation of solar and wind power plus ” marine cloud brightening” Technology could save us. We’ll see what happens.

[@solarwind907]

@@307alexk Alex, here's what I'm thinking. As permafrost melts CO2 and methane are released into the atmosphere. At some point in the not too distant future this becomes a positive feedback loop. More ghg's inthe atmosphere, earth gets warmer, more permafrost melts, more ghg's released etc. Another positive feedback loop, more ice melts in the ocean, less albedo so less of the suns energy reflected back to space, more absorbed by the dark oceans, earth gets warmer, etc. etc. ghg's and sea ice extent have all been measured. This isn't a model based on a model. This is happening. So the trajectory is more warming every day. That's the truth. Unless you have info I do not?

[@christianlassen7027]

When he says we have protected vast land area’s of land and he called it Alaska well I’m confused. Is British Columbia Alaska now? Once again Canada is discounted as America. Remember NORTH America is more than the un-united states of America 🤬

[@ramkrishn4762]

Planeters shoul learn balancing good breat chemicals air than meeting and long drawn conclusions. Better part of village, town ,city and country go hand in hand with world community. So, a concept of productive tourism should come in picture than population production norms in constitution. With brain power more than muscle , IR AI brough brainy into focus than gender. If dream unfulfilled, crossing countries dose not matter. First time some body is saying positivity, whether it is there or not. It makes us at least conscious.

[@solarwind907]

As far as carbon emissions, go, look at the keeling curve. This is the curve made by the data from 1958 to present. Atmospheric carbon dioxide increase last year as it has every year since 1958. All you have to do is look up the curve. I guess that was too hard for him to do?? No where in the world are carbon emissions down to where they were 50 years ago. Does anyone Vet these Ted speakers?

[@alantew4355]

A lot of plastics still end up in our rivers and seas, where they are degraded into micro-plastics. These plastics are then ingested by fishes, and eventually by us. What would be the consequences to our health for eating these plastics over time?

[@lanacolquitt7266]

AI isnt good no matter what its about. Luck has nothing to do with you being healed.

[@MandyBB]

He says he got lucky because it kinda is a gamble if treatments will work against resistant bacteria. I agree that many of the uses of AI are riddled with issues, but training it to ASSIST doctors and nurses who are typically already under a lot of stress is one of the few good places for AI.

[@Welcome-421]

You are responsible for yourself and your own actions and feelings, and nobody else’s.

[@darinherrick9224]

Nonsense. If that were true advertising wouldn't exist.

[@farzadmf]

Unfotunately, decreasing the speed of something bad or even preventing it from happening is not good news, it's just less bad news

[@rigodon97]

Congrats. You're part of the 1% club of commenters who have been able to see through the crap discourse featured in this video. You win... Nothing really.

[@307alexk]

Preventing bad things is not good news? Is less bad news not good news?

[@farzadmf]

Well, it "is" good news, but, IMO, relatively good news. Humans have gone too far destroying everything (including each other) that this "relative" good news, again IMO, is too little. Trying to give them a scale, the way I see the world is that: for maybe 1 unit of good news that there is, there is 20 units of bad/terrible news, so the overal trend that I see is nosediving 🙁

[@pinealgasm]

who needs people with all this luck going around? is the entire pnw really this ill-equipped to help one disabled entrepreneur?

[@Dynasty1818]

The good news every media and social media algorythm doesn't show you as negativity is what gets clicks, and people like to whine and be negative constantly.

[@carsonl941]

This guy has a lot of guts, pessimism is what makes money and maintains the current hierarchy, optimism threatens to alter the status quo and contradict main stream media, I expect this guy has a lot of hate coming his way from the cowardly cynics out there

[@muhammadali-pu2wg]

Ok😅

[@davisrafiansyah2257]

First

[@Ludawig]

I appreciate his overarching point, but to use his mountain analogy, what I'm afraid of is that while we're looking back at how far we've come, an avalanche is coming down from the peak

[@Abcdefghilmnopqrstuvwxyzabc]

It is all good and interesting. Still, I find it sad that our society is able to applaude spontaneously only about topics related to women. Inclusion is often meant to be just that. No applause on the spinal chord thing. Nothing. It is really a defeat that we can and want only to talk about just one topic in every second of our lives and every circumstance.

[@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy]

Steven Pinker called. He wants his everything back…

[@lawrencefrost9063]

I just bought his book a while ago, should read it. We need more people like him and this guy. Not too many thought. If you have too many yes men OR no men, you get skewed world views. It's important to talk about the good and the bad.

[@frydac]

@@lawrencefrost9063 He has a ted talk where he does basically the same as this talk, based on his book

[@China-129]

*Confessions of an Economic Hit Man* -John Perkins.- 📙 هذا الكتاب هو أشبه بسيرة ذاتية لكاتبه جون بيركنز. يقول بيركنز أنه قد شرع في كتابته أربع مرات على مدار عشرين عامًا، لكنه في كل مرة كان يتوقف؛ إمّا تحت التهديد، أو الرشوة، وكان البعض ينصحه حفاظًا على نفسه وحياته بكتابة ذلك الكتاب في صورة رواية، مساحة الإبداع في الرواية ستُعطي انطباع مُربك بين الحقيقي والخيال لكن كان داخله دومًا رغبة في كشف الحقائق وليس مجرد الكتابة لأجل الكتابة.

[@user-dt5nj3uk2s]

The future is green, the future is queer, the future is female, the future is wild 💚 🏳️‍🌈 ⚧️ 🐋

[@AlokSharma1]

I guess TED needed to undo the damage done by the NYC professor This is a great example of patting your back when your house is on fire

[@ivanzhuravlev537]

The most left video of this month

[@clifflejeune1352]

Yes we all need some good news but how do we break through people who have accepted the negativity of right wing politics? Here in Canada, every time we get good news, the conservative side of the aisle are making their support by convincing people that our country is broken. That is all they offer. They refuse to ever say anything good. Even bigger question, if people who are looking for a bright future are not going to bother to vote, how do we ever expect good new to be the headline when there are so many who are stifling it??

[@joshuagenes]

Some of the stuff this guy thinks is progress isn't. It is destructive on so many different levels; the height of arrogance, the height of foolishness.

[@darinherrick9224]

example?

[@joshuagenes]

@@darinherrick9224 Sure he talked abortion rights and homosexuality both are contributing to demographic collapse. When you are in demographic collapse your culture and your people are at risk of disappearing. This makes you weak in the eyes of the strong and they may devour you. This has been happening since ancient times and perhaps why many culture have prohibitions against certain behaviors even if they no longer remember why they came about in the first place.

[@rigodon97]

​@@joshuagenesyes actually there's something in the Bible about Adam and Eve being initially two dudes or something. The Quran too... Every major religion actually. Yeah.

[@307alexk]

Imagine watching a talk about wars, violence, climate change, poverty, and being most triggered about reproductive rights and gay marriage.

[@user-ey1lm4pz7s]

Yes compareig population of past to present everything has declined. 😂

[@Darrow_Au_Andromedus]

The speaker shares France making baby murder legal as a good thing? Yikes!

[@rigodon97]

+ educate yourself a bit also. Its been legal for decades there. Only now it became a constitutional right.

[@Darrow_Au_Andromedus]

@@rigodon97 what’s been legal?

[@keithbet]

For a speaker that pulls in top dollar for appearances, and considering the room full of experts in their field that were being addressed at this Ted event, the topic and content were woefully sub par.

[@zohrebehnia5220]

Hello ted, I'm a first year international student that being accepted to US college, I need 28k for my first year, can you please help me, if I don't get the money I'll lose my chance , please 😭 Should you want my documents I can share it with you all

[@superpowerdragon]

minor lisp

[@shawn80]

the lie of falling crime in America? instant thumbs down.

[@B.Whittaker]

He said violent crime, didn’t specify

[@frydac]

What is your source? Also thumbs down is still counted as 'engagement' and will make this video more likely to be recommended, especially if you also add a comment...

[@Thatpastaiscold]

The world gets safer every year. People just enjoy fear mongering

[@erickmiranda3600]

It has. Is it highlighted? Absolutely thats why negativity spreads like wild fire and positivity for granted. Then you got ppl with your mindset unaware of the active efforts to deter crime and bring better incentives and in a span of our humanity we are more civilized than decades before. Its over all collective progress