2016 has been a year filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and with the end of the year proving to be a difficult time for most, looking back on the positive side of 2016 is something that most are failing to do. It's easy to blame our heartbreak on a specific year, and this one certainly has been the scapegoat for that. Unfortunately, as much as this year seems to have taken the most lives, disappointed the most people, and challenged our society, 2017 will likely be similar. Every year has its challenges, and as much as we want to "make the next one better," there is only so much we can do to prevent hard times. It's a part of life.
What is important is looking past the misfortune and looking at the promising parts of 2016. I've made a list of some truly wonderful parts of 2016 to remember, so that before we begin a new year, we can remember that making a year a good one depends on our attitude and willingness to make the world better place.
1. Tiger numbers are growing. So are manatees and pandas!
2. A highly effective vaccine against Ebola was unveiled this week.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio got his Oscar.
4. World hunger reached its lowest point in 25 years.
5. India planted fifty million trees in one day! That beat the previous record of one million trees set by Pakistan.
6. NASA's Juno spacecraft entered Jupiter's orbit, providing us with the beginning of an in-depth study of the planet.
7. Thanks to increased awareness, we have found the gene linked to ALS, bringing us one step closer to eliminating it!
8. "Deadpool" happened. "Superhero landing!"
9. More than 20 countries pledged more than $5.3 billion for ocean conservation. That's a huge step!
10. Since the year 2000, global malaria deaths have declined by 60%.
11. SportsIllustrated featured its first openly transgender cover subject with Caitlyn Jenner.
12. Beyoncé dropped "Lemonade" and it was so awesome.
13. The Harry Potter universe expanded, and shows no signs of stopping.
13. Germany took on rape culture, introducing a law to broaden the definition of sex crimes by zoning in on the issue of consent.
14. Sea World agreed to stop breeding captive killer whales.
15. The Chicago Cubs actually, for real, won the World Series.
16. The US finalized new regulations to shut down commercial elephant ivory trade within its borders and stop wildlife crime overseas.
17. Costa Rica ran solely on renewable energy for over 100 days. Now it’s aiming for an entire year with no fossil fuels.
18. The ozone layer is repairing itself! So all the work we did to get rid of those aerosol chemicals was actually worth it.
19. People are seeing color for the first time thanks to specially designed glasses.
20. We lived to see another year.
Thanks for the good and the bad, 2016.
