Hope Is A Verb – Details, episodes & analysis

Depending on where you get your news, 2024 probably sounded like a complete disaster. And while a lot of terrible things happened, not everything that happened in the world was terrible. From breakthrough treatments for HIV and obesity, to the rise in global happiness and the decline in deforestation in the Amazon – there were a lot of bright glimmers of progress that you just didn’t hear about.  

Go to our website to read the full list of our 86 Stories of Progress from 2024.

Other topics discussed: our word of the year (hint – it’s not "brain rot"); the surprising news about global reproductive rights; the good news for obesity; how 90 million kids got fed at school; the medical breakthrough of 2024; LGBTQ+ victories in Thailand & Greece; China’s 3000 kilometre green wall; the hidden stories of hope in Gaza and Ukraine; why 2025 is going to be a big year in the Amazon; how the clean energy transition is fuelling hope for future; the biggest environmental story of the year; incredible wins for animals; and why stories of progress matter now more than ever.

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist and public intellectual who is one of the world’s greatest thinkers on the topic of progress. He is the author of 12 books, including ‘Better Angels of Our Nature,’ which played a key role in the origin story of Fix The News. After five years of email correspondence between Steven and Gus, this is their first face to face conversation. From progress to politics and the rise of tattoos, this episode offers a big dose of perspective about the current state of the world.

Other topics discussed: why longstanding peace never makes headlines; the best metrics for human progress; the decline of mental health in rich countries; the problem with word police; changes in social norms and how they happen; why today’s election in the US is better than 1968; the cognitive illusion perpetuated by mass media; how graphs and data can help change beliefs; designing better institutions to help drive more progress; two lessons that Steven learned the hard way; the power of reasonable hope.

This episode wraps up season three of this podcast. To celebrate, we’re offering new and existing subscribers a 30% discount on 12-month subscriptions to our weekly newsletter. If you want to make your inbox a more hopeful place: go to fixthenews.com and enter the code PINKER at checkout.

Find out more about Steven Pinker:

https://stevenpinker.com/

This podcast is hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fix The News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Audio sweeting by Anthony Badolato at Ai3 – audio and voice.

Meet Peta & Marwa, two women from opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict who are working together to create a shared and peaceful future for their families. Their sister organisations, Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun, have received a joint Nobel Peace Prize nomination this year. This is a story of hope against all odds, and the bonds that unite mothers, regardless of background.

The intention of this conversation is to widen the lens of media coverage and to share a story from within this conflict, that you might not have heard.

To find out more:

https://www.womenwagepeace.org.il/en/

https://womensun.org/

Meet Kris Tompkins, a rewilding legend who, alongside her late husband Doug, has helped protect over 14 million acres of biodiverse landscape across Chile and Argentina. This is a story of great love, great loss and what it takes to create a living legacy, against the headwinds of great odds. 

To find out more about Tompkins Conservation: www.tompkinsconservation.org

If you would like to contact us directly, send an email to: [email protected]

This new chapter of stories begins August 9th, 2024. Please join us by subscribing to Hope Is A Verb where ever you listen to your podcasts.

It's no secret that the news media is in crisis: sweeping layoffs across newsrooms, consumer disengagement and stories of doom and destruction on loop 24/7. But what if we could fix it? In this bonus episode Angus Hervey chats about his mission to highlight stories of progress and to prove that another form of journalism is possible - one that not only informs us about the world, but inspires real hope for the future of our planet.

Find out more:

https://fixthenews.com/

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Meet Yasmeen Lari, 'starchitect' turned humanitarian who in the wake of the 2022 floods in Pakistan, vowed to build one million zero-carbon, disaster-resistant homes for displaced families. It's an astounding feat and one that she is bringing to life, thanks to a zero-dollar, zero-charity model.

Find out more:

https://www.heritagefoundationpak.org/Hf

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can contact us at: [email protected]

Meet 'Tino' Aucca Chutas, a biologist in Peru who has worked with communities across the Andes to plant almost 10 million trees to combat climate change. Reviving the practices of his Inca ancestors, he has secured local water supplies and empowered people to create change.

Find out more:

https://accion-andina.org/?doing_wp_cron=1706209982.1546800136566162109375

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.You can contact us at: [email protected]

Meet Hannah Ritchie, a data scientist and author of Not the End of the World, a book that makes the radically hopeful argument that we may be on track to create true sustainability for the first time in history. This is data driven, qualified optimism at its best!

Find out more:

https://ourworldindata.org/

https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/

(Photo credit: Angela Catlin)

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.You can contact us at: [email protected]

Meet Eden Tadesse, a social entrepreneur and digital innovator from Ethiopia who created Invicta, a social impact platform that connects refugees and internally displaced youth with courses, skills training, and job opportunities online.

FIND OUT MORE:

https://invictaorg-2.web.app/

This episode of Hope Is A Verb was hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose. The soundtrack for this podcast is "Rain" composed and performed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Rey Miel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from their album "Sea the Sky." Audio Sweetening by Anthony Badolato- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ai3 Audio and Voice⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

You can contact us at: [email protected]