At the end of every year, we often hear about long lists of tragic events that occurred, all the famous celebrities we lost and all the natural and man-made disasters that ended several lives. 2017 was no different and world forgot about all the positives that the year had to offer and focused only on the negatives.
This seems to be the typical human behavior according to psychologists who explain that negative and positive information is processed in opposite hemispheres of the brain and we often tend to dedicate more time and effort ruminating about the bad things than the good ones.
But despite the natural human tendency to give more importance to the bad outcomes than the good ones, one teenager decided to turn around the outlook on the previous year and show everyone why 2017 wasn’t all that bad. Jacob Atkins is the genius behind the viral twitter thread that highlighted some of the most incredible events of 2017 which were overshadowed by other serious news items.
He reminded everybody of the blessings of the year which just ended through the social media platform. Here are a few positive moments of 2017 that he mentioned:
Saving the Sea Corals
Traditionally, sea corals took about six years to be produced naturally on the bed of the sea
Coral bleaching has become a pressing issue which is caused by increased temperature of the water causing the corals to rapidly die. While the subject has been discussed on social media and television shows like Blue Planet II, people have overlooked scientists’ efforts to reverse the effects of temperature rise in the sea.
A new method has now been discovered which can help scientists grow sea corals in a matter of hours! Traditionally, they took about six years to be produced naturally on the bed of the sea. Pretty cool, right?
Snow Leopards No Longer in Danger
Snow leopards have finally been taken off the list of endangered species
We heard several experts on the internet and channels like Planet Earth talk about how snow leopards will soon become extinct due to poaching. 2017 was a great year for these creatures as they have finally been taken off the list of endangered species.
Habitat destruction and hunting has made snow tigers vulnerable for several years, and even though they aren’t completely out of danger, the rate at which their population is declining has slowed down drastically. We still need to worry about other species such as polar bears who still face the threat of extinction due to global warming.
HIV Threat Slowly Diminishing in Africa
Since 2017, AIDS is no longer the number 1 cause of death in Africa
Africa has been devastated due to the AIDS and HIV epidemic that has spread through the continent like wildfire and it is all we heard about for decades when it came to African news. The poor health care, lack of education and preventive measures have made more and more people vulnerable to contracting the deadly virus.
However, in 2017, AIDS no longer is the number 1 cause of death in the continent due to several health initiatives that have been launched by international organizations.
Bee Population on the Rise
Among the numerous species that have been declining in population over the pas several years, honey bees are still considered at the top of the list simply due to their importance in keeping our planet alive. Bees play a crucial role in pollination, and more than 80% of the food we eat – especially fruits like apples, apricots and blueberries – is because of the existence of the bees.
Bees play a crucial role in pollination
However, since 2016, the bee population has been on a constant rise and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years as well.
Turning Rubbish into Shoes
Environment is of huge concern to organizations dedicated to preserving our planet, and one organization decided to take the 100,000 rubber tires disposed in Argentina every year and turn them into beautiful shoes.
The organization is also helping eradicated female unemployment rate in the area by hiring single mothers to work for them and become the providers for their families.
Reversing Deforestation
Brazil has vowed to plant 73 million trees over the next few years.
People are stressing out about the rapid deforestation that is destroying our environment and the beauty of great Amazon where, reportedly, an acre of trees is being cleared out every second. Now, several international authorities are banding together to reverse the destruction of forests.
Brazil alone has vowed to plant 73 million trees over the next few years. New Zealand has followed suit and announced its decision to plant 100 million trees every year.
