It’s Time for Good News!

Gray wolves once roamed most of Europe. But by the 20th century, the wild animals were nearly wiped out by humans hunting them and encroaching on their habitat.

In the past 50 or so years, however, the wolves’ numbers have rebounded, resulting in a full-fledged resurgence, scientists say. From 1965 to 2016, Europe’s gray wolf population soared nearly 1,900 percent, according to the Wildlife Comeback Report, a study commissioned by a group called Rewilding Europe. Today more than 17,000 of the animals roam across the continent.

What’s driving their return? Researchers point to protection efforts by the European Union, individual countries, and wildlife groups. Wolves have also benefited from fewer farmers living in mountainous areas. In the past, farmers hunted wolves to safeguard their livestock.

Wolves aren’t the only wildlife that is thriving in Europe. The report cites 50 other species, including brown bears and white-tailed eagles.

The recovery is good for the environment too, scientists say. Wolves, for example, help keep deer and elk populations in check. This lets other animal and plant species flourish.

Though small, the Central American nation of Costa Rica has made huge strides in improving the health of its people. Since 1970, life expectancy there has risen from 66 years to 80. (For comparison, life expectancy in the United States is currently 77 years.)

The change is the result of the government’s decades-long campaign to improve life for its people. Officials overhauled the national health-care system to emphasize preventive care. That is, they dedicated their efforts to helping the population stay healthy, rather than mainly focusing on treating illnesses and conditions as they arose.

The government built health-care clinics throughout the country. And in places without a local clinic, health-care workers travel directly to homes. This ensures that every citizen gets regular wellness checks, vaccinations for preventable diseases, prompt treatment for illness and injuries, and expert advice on nutrition and child care.

At the same time, the government has improved sanitation, water quality, and education nationwide. The payoff? Fewer newborns are dying, the population in general is healthier, and literacy is way up. Today most Costa Ricans—though not wealthy—report high levels of happiness.

A clean, safe water supply is a basic need for any country’s population. Yet meeting that need is a major challenge in many parts of the world. Singapore, a small island nation in Southeast Asia, has tackled that problem with increasing success.

Most of Singapore’s 5.7 million people live in densely populated urban areas. There, water demands far exceed the country’s limited sources: rainwater, rivers and streams, and water imported from neighboring Malaysia.

So Singapore has turned to science to engineer water sources. One is NEWater: specially treated recycled water. The country runs all used water through its NEWater factories. The water is purified by filters, ultraviolet radiation, and other treatments before being returned to the clean water supply.

Another solution has been desalination—removing the salt from ocean water. Singapore now has four major desalination plants that pull in and process water from the surrounding sea, making it safe to drink.

The government has also launched a major campaign to educate Singaporeans on how to use less water. Experts say that other nations could use all three steps—recycling water, desalination, and conservation—to make similar improvements for their people.