Top 10 positive highlights of 2025: From science to society

The year 2025, in many ways, was a year of chaos, confusion, disruption, war, and unprecedented humanitarian crises. But it was also a year of hope. In this two-part special year-ender series, I capture happenings across the world—the good, the bad, and the ugly. I must begin with the positives that emerged in an otherwise chaotic 2025.

Positives that Emerged

First, Seventy Is Now the New Sixty

As reported in Positive News, scientists in the UK, based on a study of English pensioners, declared that “70 really may be the new 60”, finding those in their 70s to be in substantially better health than previous generations.

Unlike most research that focuses on the prevalence or absence of specific diseases, the study assessed participants’ functional abilities, chiefly their “cognitive, locomotor, psychological, and sensory capacities”.

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Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which included more than 19,000 participants, researchers found that “a 68-year-old born in 1950 had a similar capacity to a 62-year-old born a decade earlier”,

“We were surprised by just how large these improvements were,” said John Beard, the principal author and professor of ageing at Columbia University, US. “Overall, the trends were very strong and suggest that, for many people, 70 really may be the new 60.”

What holds true for the UK will soon be truer for India. My college friends (we were 422 in Patna Science College, Class of 1974), born and raised in ‘Bimaru’ Bihar, remain fully active and productive—all are in the 66–70 age range. And when I look at myself, despite suffering from two incurable diseases—one physical (COPD) and one mental (bipolar disorder)—I continue working full-time while writing and motivational speaking as side pursuits.

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Two, The Renewables Juggernaut Rolls On

Green energy records tumbled in 2025 despite anti-renewable President Donald Trump in the White House, who decried it as the “green energy scam”.

For the first time in modern history, the combined power of wind, solar, and nuclear overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity, with China and India turbocharging this transformation.

Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at the think tank Ember, said, “We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point.”

An Ember report further noted that solar is now the fastest-growing source of electricity ever. A decade ago, it accounted for just 1 per cent of global electricity; today it’s 9 per cent and rising fast. In China, solar has grown 20-fold, driven by a 90 per cent drop in costs over the decade.

Three, Changemaker of the Year

Every year, a few individuals emerge as changemakers. My vote for 2025 goes to Fatou Baldeh of Gambia, founder and CEO of Women in Liberation and Leadership, recently hailed as one of Time Magazine’s “Women of the Year”.

Gambian society, like many others, has a social norm known as female genital mutilation (FGM). When Baldeh was eight, she underwent FGM. While studying reproductive health in the UK, she learnt about its severe impact on women’s health.

Baldeh has since advocated against FGM. “One of the greatest lessons I learnt through this journey was that the cutting of girls was about power and control… You are sending her a strong signal that her body does not belong to her, and she should not speak about violence or assaults,” she said.

Her fight is not just about ending FGM but about challenging deeply entrenched attitudes that perpetuate gender inequality.

Four, An Ancient City Discovered in Peru

Archaeologists in Peru discovered an ancient city named Peñico, 200 km north of Lima, about 600 metres above sea level. Believed to have been founded between 1800 and 1500 BC, it flourished alongside the Middle Eastern and Indus Valley civilisations.

The city likely served as an important trade hub linking coastal populations with settlements in the Andes and Amazon basin. Excavations revealed homes, temples, clay sculptures of humans and animals, and necklaces made from beads and seashells. Peñico’s proximity to Caral, established 5,000 years ago in the Supe Valley, may shed light on the Americas’ oldest known civilisation.

Five, Norway’s EV Revolution—a Lesson to the World

Norway has almost completely banished petrol-powered cars. Registration data shows that 88.9 per cent of cars sold last year were battery-powered, putting Norway on track to go all-electric by 2025.

The government’s policies, including high taxes on combustion engines and exemptions for EVs, have remained consistent despite political changes, contrasting with nations like the UK and USA.

Six, Indonesia Launched Ambitious Free Meals Scheme

India pioneered free midday meals decades ago and expanded food security during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, Indonesia’s new president has launched a programme to provide free meals to 82.9 million people, targeting schoolchildren and pregnant women.

The programme faces logistical challenges, with 190 kitchens set up nationwide to ensure meals are distributed efficiently.

Seven, Gaza Ceasefire Agreed and Implemented

After massive destruction claiming over 50,000 Palestinian lives, Israel and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire and hostage release deal. While its longevity is uncertain, the ceasefire has largely held, bringing temporary relief after a humanitarian crisis.

Eight, Golden Age for Cancer Treatment

Emerging data from the UK, US, and other countries suggest a promising era for cancer treatment. In England and Wales, survival rates have doubled over the last 50 years, with similar trends in the US.

In India, where cancer mortality remains high, these global advancements bring hope, although nearly 70 per cent of patients still die within five years of diagnosis.

Nine, Treating the Untreatable

2025 witnessed radical medical breakthroughs:

• Gene therapy partially restored hearing in those born with genetic hearing loss.

• A revolutionary eye implant allowed blind patients with age-related macular degeneration to read.

• Gene therapy reversed previously untreatable blood cancers in children and slowed Huntington’s disease.

• AI integration, precision medicine, Crispr, novel drug delivery, and regenerative medicine also advanced, making highly personalised treatments increasingly viable.

Ten, Vast New Wildlife Sanctuaries Created Worldwide

2025 marked a global effort to protect ecosystems. Australia, Colombia, Greece, Portugal, India, and São Tomé and Príncipe created new wildlife sanctuaries and marine reserves.

Australia’s Exmouth Gulf (26,000 sq km) protects dugongs and humpback whales, while the Great Koala National Park (4,600 sq km) became the state’s largest protected area. India expanded Madhav National Park as its 58th Tiger Reserve and added new Ramsar Wetlands, supporting both conservation and ecotourism.

This concludes Part I of the year-ender edition on positive developments in 2025. Part II will focus on the not-so-positive news.

…to be continued

(The author is a multi-disciplinary thought leader with Action Bias and an India-based impact consultant. He is President of Advisory Services at BARSYL. Views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s position.)