When the headlines are dominated by heart-rending events such as refugee crises and terrifying ones like mass shootings, it can be difficult to carry on the holiday tradition of giving thanks. It becomes easier, though, when we get past the immediacy of the news and examine some important trends in the world.

We recently learnt, for example, that global greenhouse gas emissions are likely to decrease in 2015, thanks in large part to a slowdown in Chinese growth and to faster-than-expected progress with clean technologies such as wind and solar. This downturn might be reversed in coming years, especially if India and other developing countries continue to grow along their current high emissions trajectory, but it’s still good news. As I wrote here before, it’s part of a wonderful trend visible across many environmental indicators. In important ways, we are learning to tread more lightly on our planet.

We are also lifting more people more quickly out of dire poverty than ever before. Careful evidence compiled by Max Roser as part of his invaluable Our World in Dataproject shows that even as the world’s population has increased greatly over the past 25 years, the total number of people living in extreme poverty has plummeted. This autumn, the World Bank reported that less than 10 per cent of the world’s population now live on less than $1.90 a day (as measured in 2011 dollars, adjusted for purchasing power parity). In 1990, the equivalent figure was more than 35 per cent.