To start the year on a positive note, i have copied a post of tweets from Canadian Astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield who has become a twitter sensation in space and now on land. 46 good things. Flying in the face of conventional wisdom ie (the media and politicians) that we are all going to "hell in a handbasket" at a very rapid pace, Hadfield has done some work and used his profile to assure all the believers, that there are indeed many great things happening around the globe that are worth celebrating as real achievements. (thanks for link/reminder endless.)
There are so many other great achievements that have happened and will happen during this year 2017 as well, the world is a great place after all.
We can all help to make this a great year.
Good fortune to all.
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Juno, a piece of future history, successfully flew over 588 million miles and is now sending back unprecedented data from Jupiter.
9 replies 1,525 retweets 4,957 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
The number of veterans in the US who are homeless has halved in the past half-decade, with a nearly 20% drop in 2016.
20 replies 2,086 retweets 5,843 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Malawi lowered its HIV rate by 67%, and in the past decade have seen a shift in public health that has saved over 250,000 lives.
14 replies 1,837 retweets 4,958 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Air travel continue to get safer, and 2016 saw the second fewest per capita deaths in aviation of any year on record.
8 replies 1,397 retweets 3,836 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
India’s dogged commitment to reforestation saw a single day event planting more than 50 million trees, a world record.
15 replies 2,452 retweets 5,607 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Measles has been eradicated from the Americas. A 22 year vaccination campaign has led to the elimination of the historic virus.
20 replies 1,576 retweets 4,314 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
After a century, Einstein’s theory of gravitational waves has been proven correct, in a ‘moon shot’ scientific achievement.
9 replies 1,635 retweets 4,707 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
China has announced a firm date for the end of the ivory trade, as public opinion is becoming more staunchly environmentalist.
6 replies 1,533 retweets 4,721 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
A solar powered airplane flew across the Pacific Ocean for the first time, highlighting a new era of energy possibilities.
16 replies 1,808 retweets 4,705 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Costa Rica’s entire electrical grid ran on renewable energy for over half the year, and their capacity continues to grow.
12 replies 2,001 retweets 5,130 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Israeli and US researchers believe they are on the brink of being able to cure radiation sickness, after successful tests this year.
19 replies 1,262 retweets 4,040 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
The ozone layer has shown that through tackling a problem head on, the world can stem environmental disasters, together.
3 replies 1,288 retweets 3,842 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
A new treatment for melanoma has seen a 40% survival rate, taking a huge step forward towards long-term cancer survivability.
6 replies 1,281 retweets 3,784 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
An Ebola vaccine was developed by Canadian researchers with 100% efficacy. Humans eradicated horror, together.
9 replies 1,925 retweets 5,152 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
British Columbia protected 85% of the world’s largest temperate rainforest, in a landmark environmental agreement.
8 replies 1,176 retweets 3,834 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
2016 saw the designation of more than 40 new marine sanctuaries in 20 countries, covering an area larger than the United States.
5 replies 1,093 retweets 3,281 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
These marine reserves include Malaysia’s 13 year struggle to complete a million hectare park, completed this year.
2 replies 800 retweets 2,597 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
This also includes the largest marine reserve in history, created in Antarctica via an unprecedented agreement by 24 nations.
1 reply 756 retweets 2,671 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Atmospheric acid pollution, once a gloomy reality, has been tackled to the point of being almost back to pre-industrial levels.
8 replies 1,174 retweets 3,343 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Major diseases are in decline. The US saw a 50% mortality drop in colon cancer; lower heart disease, osteoporosis and dementia.
5 replies 1,177 retweets 3,335 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Uruguay successfully fought tobacco companies to create a precedent for small countries looking to introduce health-focused legislation.
3 replies 849 retweets 2,761 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
World hunger has reached its lowest point in 25 years, and with poverty levels dropping worldwide, seems likely to continue.
3 replies 1,738 retweets 3,943 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
The A.U. made strides to become more unified, launching an all-Africa passport meant to allow for visa-free travel for all citizens.
2 replies 830 retweets 2,635 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Fossil fuel emissions flatlined in 2016, with the Paris agreement becoming the fastest UN treaty to become international law.
7 replies 1,094 retweets 3,222 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
China announced a ban on new coal mines, with renewed targets to increase electrical capacity through renewables by 2020.
2 replies 906 retweets 2,828 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
One third of Dutch prison cells are empty as the crime rate shrank by more than 25% in the last eight years, continuing to drop.
12 replies 977 retweets 3,042 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
In August went to the high Arctic with some incredible young artists. They helped open my eyes to the promise of the next generation.
5 replies 501 retweets 2,085 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Science, economics, and environmentalism saw a reversal in the overfishing trends of the United States this year.
5 replies 652 retweets 2,325 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016 @BoyanSlat successfully tested his Ocean Cleanup prototype, and aims to clean up to 40% of ocean-borne plastics starting this year.
13 replies 1,048 retweets 3,091 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Israel now produces 55% of its freshwater, turning what is one of the driest countries on earth into an agricultural heartland.
21 replies 1,107 retweets 3,121 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
The Italian government made it harder to waste food, creating laws that provided impetus to collect, share and donate excess meals.
6 replies 1,040 retweets 3,136 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
People pouring ice on their head amusingly provided the ALS foundation with enough funding to isolate a genetic cause of the disease.
10 replies 1,718 retweets 4,414 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Manatees, arguably the most enjoyable animal to meet when swimming, are no longer endangered.
16 replies 1,572 retweets 4,290 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Grizzlies, arguable the least enjoyable animal to meet while swimming, no longer require federal protection in US national parks.
7 replies 1,035 retweets 3,409 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Global aid increased 7%, with money being designated to helping the world’s 65 million refugees doubling.
5 replies 699 retweets 2,291 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
2016 was the most charitable year in American history. China’s donations have increased more than ten times since a decade ago.
2 replies 865 retweets 2,651 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
The Gates Foundation announced another 5 billion dollars towards eradicating poverty and disease in Africa.
6 replies 882 retweets 2,893 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Individual Canadians were so welcoming that the country set a world standard for how to privately sponsor and resettle refugees.
8 replies 1,140 retweets 3,720 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
Teenage birth rates in the United States have never been lower, while at the same time graduation rates have never been higher.
5 replies 1,408 retweets 3,872 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield31 Dec 2016
SpaceX made history by landing a rocket upright after returning from space, potentially opening a new era of space exploration.
10 replies 1,021 retweets 3,224 likes
Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield 31 Dec 2016
