00:00:04
Whitney Pennington Rodgers:
Hi, Angus, thanks for joining me today.
00:00:07
Angus Hervey: Whitney,
good to be with you.
00:00:09
WPR: So we've launched a series
here at TED called TED Explains,
00:00:12
where we take big headlines and break down
what they mean and why they matter.
00:00:17
And as we're thinking about the kind
of stories we wanted to explain,
00:00:20
one thing that came up
in our conversations is you
00:00:23
and the work that you do at Fix the News.
00:00:26
So what is Fix the News?
00:00:27
What is it that you do over there?
00:00:29
AH: Fix the News is founded on the idea
00:00:32
that the biggest problem in media today
00:00:35
isn’t the division between
left versus right
00:00:37
or the filter bubbles that we're stuck in.
00:00:40
It’s the bad news bubble
that we’re all stuck in.
00:00:43
Because the news tells us
what’s going wrong.
00:00:46
It's a thing about failure
and not success.
00:00:48
And it's also true that the news
is about sudden events,
00:00:51
not gradual trends.
00:00:52
It's about the unusual
and not the commonplace.
00:00:55
And as a result,
00:00:56
vast waves of progress:
extreme poverty declining,
00:01:00
lifespans increasing,
00:01:01
living standards rising,
00:01:03
laws becoming more tolerant,
00:01:04
diseases disappearing,
00:01:06
oceans and forests being protected,
00:01:08
clean energy replacing fossil fuels,
00:01:10
those things are kind of invisible.
00:01:12
A simpler way, really,
of saying this is that
00:01:15
terrible things might be
happening in the world,
00:01:17
but not everything that's happening
in the world is terrible.
00:01:20
So at Fix the News
we publish a newsletter
00:01:22
and share this information
with tens of thousands of people,
00:01:25
and it's stories about what's going right.
00:01:28
Powerful stories of progress
00:01:30
that we distill into a succinct snapshot
that connect people to the bigger picture
00:01:35
and explain what progress is being made,
00:01:38
what timeline it takes place over,
00:01:40
what it took to get there
and what the impact is.
00:01:44
WPR: Well, we've been really fortunate
00:01:46
to have you share some
of these big stories of progress
00:01:49
over the course of two TED Talks
that you’ve given,
00:01:51
this past year being the most recent one.
00:01:54
And they were the stories
just as you've described,
00:01:56
are these big stories
that we might have missed
00:01:59
because they were not covered
in the news for one reason or another.
00:02:03
We're really thrilled to have you share
more of these stories with us
00:02:06
as part of this special series
within a series at TED Explains
00:02:09
called TED Explains
the News That You Missed,
00:02:11
and this is the first of that series.
00:02:13
So since you gave your last talk,
at this point, it's about six months ago,
00:02:17
a lot has happened out in the world.
00:02:19
So let's talk about a few of the big
stories that you've been tracking.
00:02:22
And one of those stories
is probably something
00:02:24
that was front and center
for a lot of us at one point,
00:02:27
which is the fight against AIDS.
00:02:29
And I know there's some
big news there lately.
00:02:31
So what's the story there?
00:02:33
What's been happening in that space?
00:02:35
AH: Well, AIDS is still a big deal.
00:02:38
We don't hear about it
in the news very much anymore.
00:02:41
But it's killed over 40 million people
since the pandemic first began.
00:02:46
And there are around 40
million people worldwide
00:02:50
who are living with HIV right now.
00:02:52
So it's a big thing
that has happened to humanity
00:02:56
and continues to be a daily reality
for a lot of people.
00:03:01
At the end of July,
UNAIDS held their annual conference,
00:03:04
and at that conference they released data
with some really incredible news
00:03:09
showing that annual AIDS deaths
have declined by 69 percent
00:03:13
since their peak in 2004.
00:03:15
So just to put this into context,
at the peak of the AIDS epidemic,
00:03:20
close to two million people died.
00:03:21
It was one of the worst
problems in the world.
00:03:24
And in 2023, 20 years later,
00:03:28
around 630,000 people lost their lives,
00:03:31
which is still devastating.
00:03:33
But in terms of progress
against a disease,
00:03:35
this really is one of the most remarkable
stories in global public health.
00:03:39
And the reason that it's been possible
00:03:43
is because of access,
mostly to antiretroviral therapies.
00:03:47
There are 40 million people worldwide
living with HIV right now,
00:03:50
and more than 77 percent of those people
have access to antiretroviral therapies
00:03:54
and 84 percent of pregnant women,
00:03:57
which prevents transmission
to their child.
00:03:59
And it's this, this access
to these incredible medicines
00:04:02
that's really driving the decline
in overall mortality.
00:04:06
At the same conference,
the UNAIDS conference in July,
00:04:11
one of the most exciting moments,
if not the most exciting moment,
00:04:14
and certainly one of the most
anticipated at the conference,
00:04:18
was the release of data from a trial
of a drug called Lenacapavir
00:04:23
which showed that this drug,
00:04:25
which only needs
to be injected twice a year,
00:04:28
has a 100-percent effectiveness rate
in preventing the transmission.
00:04:34
This is extraordinary.
00:04:36
This is not the kind of thing
that happens in medical trials.
00:04:39
You don't get 100 percent
effectiveness rates in anything really.
00:04:43
And when the results
of that trial were announced,
00:04:47
I think the entire plenary leapt
to their feet and started applauding.
00:04:51
It was really an incredible moment.
00:04:54
And AIDS researchers
are incredibly excited about it.
00:04:56
The next big battle, of course now
is to get Gilead to release that drug
00:05:01
to low- and middle-income countries
at a price that people can afford.
00:05:04
But certainly the future looks bright
00:05:07
for a lot of people who have this disease.
00:05:11
There's still a lot of questions
around funding and the future trajectory,
00:05:16
but really, I think we can all
take a lot of comfort
00:05:19
from the progress that has been made
over the last 20 years.
00:05:23
WPR: Well, I know you're also
always tracking progress
00:05:25
on the battle against climate change
00:05:28
and some big news
for what's going on in the Amazon.
00:05:31
What's happening there?
00:05:32
AH: Again, this is kind of
as big as it gets.
00:05:36
The Amazon also is a big deal.
00:05:39
And I mean, I don't think
I need to explain that.
00:05:43
You know, people call it the lungs
of the Earth for a reason.
00:05:47
It's the largest rainforest in the world.
00:05:49
And within the Amazon itself,
00:05:51
most of the Amazon is taken up
by the Brazilian Amazon.
00:05:54
I think around two thirds of the entire
Amazon basin is within Brazil.
00:05:59
So really what happens in Brazil,
00:06:03
kind of matters not just
for the region and for the forest,
00:06:07
but for the planet as a whole.
00:06:09
And there has been some really incredible
news coming out of Brazil.
00:06:12
It was released last month
by Brazil's space agency,
00:06:16
showing that deforestation
in the Brazilian Amazon
00:06:18
has come down by 45 percent
in the last 12 months.
00:06:22
This is the largest proportional
decrease in deforestation
00:06:26
that they have ever recorded in 12 months.
00:06:29
Under Bolsonaro,
00:06:31
deforestation kind of skyrocketed,
00:06:34
up to almost 10,000
square kilometers a year.
00:06:37
And it's now down
in the last 12-month period
00:06:39
to below 5,000 square kilometers a year.
00:06:42
Now this is still a lot of deforestation.
00:06:45
So this is not to say
that the problem has been solved.
00:06:48
Instead, it's an indicator of progress.
00:06:51
And I think what's so heartening
about this story
00:06:53
is that when President
Lula da Silva came into power
00:06:57
at the beginning of 2023,
00:06:58
one of his main campaign promises
was to end illegal deforestation
00:07:03
in the Brazilian Amazon.
00:07:05
And what has happened there in Brazil
00:07:07
is that the government
has poured resources
00:07:09
into Environmental Enforcement Agency
00:07:11
and their Park Service.
00:07:13
So this rhetoric is being
backed by action,
00:07:15
and we're seeing that in the results.
00:07:18
Now this doesn’t mean the Amazon
is out of the woods, so to speak.
00:07:23
We have a really problematic drought
that's happening right now
00:07:26
because of climate change.
00:07:28
We have record amounts
of fires in the Amazon,
00:07:30
and a lot of the headlines
have been about those problems.
00:07:33
But I think that if you look over
the span of the last 12 months,
00:07:37
there are hugely encouraging
signs of progress.
00:07:41
And every reason to believe that Lula
will continue to meet these promises
00:07:44
of reducing illegal deforestation.
00:07:48
WPR: Well, across the globe
and in another environmental issue,
00:07:51
you're seeing something happening
in China that's also really exciting.
00:07:55
Tell us about that.
00:07:57
AH: Yeah, so this is I think,
00:07:59
for me, this is the most important
climate news of the year,
00:08:02
which is why you're probably not
seeing it in the headlines,
00:08:06
which is that China is installing
record amounts of wind and solar energy.
00:08:12
102 gigawatts of solar
in the first six months of the year
00:08:15
and 26 gigawatts of wind.
00:08:17
Solar addition's up by 31 percent
compared to last year,
00:08:20
and wind addition's up by 12 percent.
00:08:22
And last year, of course, was a record
00:08:25
for deployment of renewable
energy in China.
00:08:27
So we're entering new territory here.
00:08:30
And to kind of, again,
put a bit of a marker on this,
00:08:34
China has just hit its 1,200 gigawatt
wind and solar goal,
00:08:38
six years early.
00:08:40
So in 2020,
00:08:42
China had around 450 gigawatts
of wind and solar,
00:08:45
and they set a goal of reaching
1,200 gigawatts by 2030.
00:08:49
And most energy analysts around the world
00:08:51
said that that was too ambitious.
00:08:53
And yet China has now hit
that goal in July 2024.
00:08:57
And as a result of this incredibly
rapid deployment of clean energy,
00:09:01
probably the most important story,
certainly technology story,
00:09:06
one of the most important
technology stories
00:09:08
and the most important climate story
happening in the world right now.
00:09:11
It looks like China's carbon emissions
fell by one percent
00:09:15
in the second quarter of 2024.
00:09:18
And many energy analysts are saying
00:09:20
that looking forward
over the next, you know,
00:09:23
four or five months
that remain in the year,
00:09:25
there is a more than 50 percent chance
00:09:28
that China could see
carbon emissions decline in 2024.
00:09:31
Of course, China is the largest
carbon emitter in the world.
00:09:35
So when China peaks,
00:09:37
that means the rest
of the world peaks as well.
00:09:39
And it could mean
00:09:41
that after the 300-year journey
of carbon-led industrialization
00:09:46
that we've been on,
00:09:47
this year, 2024 marks the point
at which the ship turns around,
00:09:52
and we embark on the next 30
or 40-year journey of decarbonization.
00:09:57
It's a seminal moment in the climate story
00:10:00
and one which I wish
was getting more headlines.
00:10:04
WPR: So up there with climate change,
00:10:05
hunger is another one
of these huge global challenges
00:10:08
that seem insurmountable in some ways.
00:10:10
But you've been seeing some exciting ways
that schools are tackling this.
00:10:14
Can you tell us
a little bit more about that?
00:10:16
AH: So we're keeping it small here.
00:10:19
We’ve done a disease,
deforestation, climate change
00:10:24
and now we're tackling hunger.
00:10:25
So we're sticking to small subjects.
00:10:29
Hunger is a major issue
in the world right now.
00:10:32
It is one of the areas
in which we're going in reverse.
00:10:36
We've actually seen global hunger
increase over the last few years,
00:10:41
and largely as a result
00:10:43
of war and and conflict.
00:10:48
But within that story,
there is a really bright spot.
00:10:53
And that is the global effort
to feed kids at school.
00:10:58
This is one of the best ideas
that human beings have ever had
00:11:01
and also one of the simplest.
00:11:02
When a kid comes to school,
you give them a free meal.
00:11:05
And what we've seen
00:11:07
is we've seen this idea kind of take off,
00:11:10
especially since the pandemic.
00:11:12
But during the pandemic,
00:11:14
when a lot of kids were out of school
00:11:16
and a lot of governments
were dealing with their crisis,
00:11:18
this idea emerged as something
that could address that.
00:11:24
And a Global School Meals coalition
was formed in 2021
00:11:28
to really help countries
learn lessons from each other
00:11:32
around how to provide school meals.
00:11:34
And what we've seen is
that those school meal programs
00:11:37
are now reaching 480 million children
00:11:41
in the world at the moment.
00:11:42
That is up from 390 million children
before the pandemic.
00:11:46
So we've seen an extra 90
million children around the world
00:11:49
get covered by these school meal programs.
00:11:52
And the reason that this is
such a good idea
00:11:54
is that homegrown school feeding
00:11:56
generates a return of something
like nine dollars per dollar invested.
00:12:00
And more importantly,
00:12:01
it's a social protection program
that reduces public budget expenditures,
00:12:05
it unlocks agricultural development,
00:12:08
it reduces malnutrition,
00:12:10
it reduces healthcare costs,
it increases school attendance.
00:12:14
And kids learn better
when they're learning on a full stomach.
00:12:19
We've seen 101 countries join
this School Meals Coalition
00:12:22
since it was formed in 2021.
00:12:24
It is one of the most exciting areas
00:12:27
in global development anywhere right now.
00:12:30
The other place that with school meals
some really exciting things are happening
00:12:34
is actually in the United States itself,
00:12:36
where more than 95,000 schools
00:12:38
are serving free lunches
to 21 million students each day.
00:12:42
So this idea of free school meals
is becoming increasingly popular
00:12:45
in the United States.
00:12:47
And again, the pandemic
had a lot to do with this.
00:12:50
And so this is really a kind of
under-the-radar political movement,
00:12:55
but one in which I think
we're going to see increased traction
00:12:59
in the United States
over the coming years.
00:13:01
So this is really an area to watch.
00:13:03
But if you're looking for hope
in the story of hunger,
00:13:06
this school meals idea really
is just absolutely incredible.
00:13:12
And we're seeing some extraordinary
progress happen all around the world.
00:13:17
WPR: Wow, yeah, it's amazing.
00:13:19
And you took us all over the world
in sharing about that,
00:13:22
but ended in the United States.
00:13:23
And so maybe we can stay
there for a second.
00:13:25
You also have some interesting things
to share there about crime,
00:13:29
which we know the United States experience
with crime is sort of varied,
00:13:32
but what's going on there currently?
00:13:34
AH: So the story of crime
in the United States
00:13:36
is always incredibly complex.
00:13:38
Obviously a very politically
loaded question as well.
00:13:43
You know, it is a favorite of politicians
00:13:48
in the United States
00:13:49
and really in many senses,
00:13:52
often used as a kind of avatar
of the wider political and culture wars.
00:13:58
Trying to kind of step backwards
from it a little bit, though,
00:14:01
and really just concentrate
on what's happening in the data,
00:14:05
we're seeing an extraordinary
decline in crime
00:14:09
in the United States right now.
00:14:10
That after the spike in crime
that happened during the pandemic,
00:14:14
we're seeing historic declines
across the board
00:14:17
on violent crime, murder,
rape, robbery, assault.
00:14:21
This year, in 2024 alone,
00:14:23
we've seen a roughly 16 percent
decline in murder rates.
00:14:27
And the decline of that magnitude
would represent by far
00:14:29
the largest one-year decline
ever recorded.
00:14:32
The previous record
was a nine-percent decline in 1996.
00:14:36
So murder rates have returned mostly
to their pre-2020 levels now
00:14:40
within the first six months of 2024,
00:14:43
being slightly above where it was
on average between 2017 and 2019.
00:14:48
But if it continues at this rate,
00:14:50
then in 2024,
00:14:52
the murder rate will be below
where it was in 2019.
00:14:56
And that means that we're going
to end up this year,
00:14:58
probably with the lowest
US homicide rate since 2014
00:15:02
and fifth lowest ever recorded.
00:15:05
It's not just that we're seeing
violent crime decline as well.
00:15:09
The Major Cities Chiefs Association's
latest report on violent crime
00:15:13
in 58 large US cities and 10 counties
00:15:15
shows a 7.7 percent overall decline
in the first quarter of 2024,
00:15:20
with homicide down.
00:15:22
Similar figures there,
00:15:24
rape down 16.6 percent,
00:15:25
robbery down three percent
00:15:26
and aggravated assault
down by eight percent.
00:15:29
There are a lot of people who say
that this data is somehow suspect
00:15:34
because there is underreporting
of crime that is happening right now,
00:15:37
and in some respects that is true.
00:15:41
Not as many crimes are reported
now as in the past.
00:15:46
But it is not a problem
with underreporting from agencies
00:15:50
around the United States,
00:15:52
that there was a methodological
change back in 2021 by the FBI
00:15:56
that resulted in a blip.
00:15:58
But most of US agencies,
US law enforcement agencies,
00:16:01
are now reporting their full crime data.
00:16:03
So this is not to say
00:16:05
that the crime problem
has been solved in the US,
00:16:07
but it is very, very encouraging.
00:16:11
It says that things
are returning back to normal,
00:16:14
that the crime spike during
the pandemic was an anomaly.
00:16:19
It wasn't some kind of structural shift
in how the United States operates.
00:16:24
And what most people don't realize
is that the United States, in fact,
00:16:28
now is safer at any point
than it has been in many decades.
00:16:34
Certainly, if you're looking at the data.
00:16:36
And that should be something
that should be celebrated and encouraged
00:16:39
on both sides of the political aisle.
00:16:42
WPR: Well, you've shared stories
with us so far that,
00:16:44
all of these stories have been
about hopeful, promising things.
00:16:47
But I think to end, there's a story
about a major win for tolerance,
00:16:53
social tolerance in Asia
00:16:55
that feels like a really hopeful place
to finish this off.
00:16:58
So what's happening there?
00:17:00
AH: So the reason that we've obviously --
00:17:03
I think the reason that we call
this series “the News that We Missed”
00:17:07
is because most of the news that we miss
tends to be good news,
00:17:11
that the media --
that "if it bleeds, it leads"
00:17:13
isn't just a colloquialism coined
by some cutthroat tabloid editor.
00:17:17
It's a potent, commercial reality
for most media organizations
00:17:23
in the world today.
00:17:25
So this conversation might feel
like it is heavily skewed
00:17:28
or heavily weighted in favor
of stories of progress,
00:17:31
well, almost entirely in favor
of stories of progress.
00:17:35
But that's just because these stories
just don't get nearly as much visibility.
00:17:40
So kind of in that spirit,
00:17:42
the story that I really wanted
to finish with here,
00:17:46
which you've asked me about,
00:17:47
is what’s happening
with same-sex marriage
00:17:51
and wider kind of tolerance
00:17:53
for LGBTQI+ communities in Asia.
00:17:58
Now if you look at a map of the world
00:18:03
of where countries have
legalized same-sex marriage,
00:18:05
38 countries have legalized
same-sex marriage so far.
00:18:09
And almost all of that has happened
in the 21st century.
00:18:11
North America, South America,
00:18:14
Europe and then down here in Australasia.
00:18:19
But really, where there's still
a lot of work to be done
00:18:22
is in Africa and Asia.
00:18:24
But in Asia this year, we've seen
some really encouraging stories.
00:18:27
And on top of that list is Thailand's
legalization of same-sex marriage.
00:18:32
On the 18th of June,
their Senate voted 130 to four
00:18:36
to pass the same-sex marriage bill.
00:18:38
And that means that Thailand,
00:18:40
which is home to over 70 million people,
00:18:42
becomes the first country
in Southeast Asia, the third in Asia,
00:18:45
and as I said before,
the 38th country in the world,
00:18:48
to recognize same-sex relationships.
00:18:51
This is a huge milestone moment
for LGBTQI+ people in Thailand.
00:18:56
There are an estimated 3.7 million
to four million people
00:19:00
who identify as LGBTQI+ in that country.
00:19:04
And while globally it has a reputation
for tolerance for these communities,
00:19:10
legally, they haven't been
recognized until now.
00:19:13
This is a mixed picture.
00:19:15
There are many Asian countries
where discrimination still exists
00:19:19
and is still deeply entrenched.
00:19:22
But I think this year
what we're starting to see
00:19:24
is we're starting to see shifts
that that victory,
00:19:27
particularly in Thailand,
00:19:29
maybe signals a shift
for the region as a whole.
00:19:31
And this is an area
to watch out for in the future.
00:19:34
There is every likelihood
that Asia, more generally,
00:19:38
will become more generally tolerant,
both legally and culturally,
00:19:44
within the next five to 10 years.
00:19:46
And that's something
that we'll be tracking as well.
00:19:48
WPR: Well, it could actually be
another name for this series,
00:19:51
because I feel like
with everything you've said,
00:19:53
the reaction it's brought
out of me is sort of wow,
00:19:56
And this sense of awe
and the goodness of people
00:19:59
and humanity and the progress
our world is making.
00:20:02
We're so grateful to you for coming
to share this with us today
00:20:05
and for your talks.
00:20:07
I feel like there's always
an opportunity for us
00:20:09
to learn something incredible
about what's happening around us
00:20:12
when we hear from you,
00:20:13
and we're excited to have you do this
with us every few months
00:20:17
and have you back here to share
more of these stories, which we know,
00:20:20
what you shared today is just a fraction
of what you've uncovered.
00:20:23
So see you back here soon.
00:20:26
AH: Thanks, Whitney.
