People Change:
According to the Lancet’s latest Burden of Disease study, global life expectancy increased from 64.64 years in 1990 to 73.84 years in 2023.
The World Health Organization reports that between 2018 and 2023 antibiotic resistance increased in 40% of pathogen-antibiotic combinations with 17% of lab-confirmed bacterial infections resistant to antibiotic treatment.
According to the 2025 edition of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, one person a minute around the world dies a heat related death.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported the invention of an eye implant to partially restore the sight of elderly sufferers of macular degeneration.
Food and Water:
Roslin Institute scientists have genetically engineered pigs immune to classical swine fever.
Climate Change and the Environment:
According to the World Meteorological Organization the global concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide increased by 3.5 ppm to 424 ppm in 2024.
During October 2025 the Philippines experienced a super typhoon, while Hurricane Melissa was the strongest ever to hit Jamaica and Vietnam experienced floods.
According to the Climate Central Group, the cost to America of weather related disasters increased from US$ 299 billion for the whole decade from 1985 to US$ 1.4 trillion for the decade from 2014, with the first half of 2025 seeing US$ 101 billion in damage including 14 separate disasters costing more than US$ 1 billion.
A New Zealand government study reported that the country’s oceans are warming 34% faster than the global average placing US$ 104 billion of housing at risk.
Low Cost Renewable Energy:
The IEA forecasts that two thirds of 2025 US$ 3.3 trillion invested in energy will be in renewables.
BNEF reported that the US$ 386 billion invested in clean technology in 1H2025 was 10% higher than 1H2024.
According to the IEA, hydropower is the third largest source of electricity generation worldwide after coal and natural gas, generating as much power in 2024 as solar and wind combined and 50% more than nuclear power plants.
According to Ember global solar power generation in 1H2025 was 33% higher than 1H2024.
According to the 2025 State of Climate Action report, the share of coal in electricity is dropping even as more coal is used to meet growing demand for electricity.
American government data shows wind and solar together contributed 90% of new power generation in the country during the first seven months of 2025.
Ember Energy calculated that China installed 256 GW of solar capacity in 1H2025 compared to 21 GW in the USA. China has 12 nuclear power plants under construction, the USA none.
Wood Mackenzie forecasts that demand for copper will increase by 24% between 2025 and 2035.
Autonomous Electric Vehicles:
Worldwide more than 89,000 electric trucks were sold in 1H2025, 140% more than in 1H2024; 80,000 were sold in China with most of the rest sold in Europe and only 200 sold in the USA. In the Netherlands, 80% of commercial van sales in 1H2025 were electric. Sales of hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles were minimal.
According to the IEA, in China the total cost of ownership of electric trucks is now lower than diesel trucks.
CATL predicts that sales of electric trucks in China which rose from 4% of truck sales in 2023 to 24% in 2025 will reach 50% by 2028. Mercedes Benz has unveiled a prototype of a car painted with special solar paint so the car becomes a solar panel. EHang, which makes flying taxis, is the world’s first company with permission to operate unmanned passenger flights on tourist routes. Xpeng’s flying car unit is taking orders for its Land Aircraft Carrier, a van with a two seater, battery powered helicopter attached. European aerospace companies Airbus, Thales and Leonardo have agreed to merge their space businesses.
Mass Data Mining and Storage:
OpenAI signed agreements worth some US$ one trillion for computing power to run its AI models.
A joint report from JD.com and the Shenzhen Toy Industry Association predicts that annual Chinese sales of toys with embedded AI features will exceed US$ 14 billion by 2030.
AI powered smart glasses from Alibaba translates text being read into the wearer’s language.
