What were the positives to come out of 2024?
Letter to the editor
As another year stumbles to a close, it has been one dominated by what appears to be one of relentless bleakness on a global stage. Conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as a continuing cost-of-living crisis on our own shores.
However, there have been many positives to come out of 2024, which have maybe not grabbed the headlines and gained the profile merited.
New medical breakthroughs included the delivery of a new era of schizophrenia treatment, with the approval of the drug KarXT. And ground-breaking medical trials, like the world’s first mRNA lung cancer vaccine, offered a glimpse into a healthier future.
In the UK, renewable power overtook fossil fuel generation for the first time, and Norway became the first country in the world where electric cars outnumbered petrol cars.
Greece legalized same-sex marriage and adoption, becoming the first Orthodox Christian Country to do so, and 642 million people voted in India’s general election, setting the record for the world’s largest election.
Meanwhile, the Paris Summer Olympics dazzled the world with extraordinary athletic performances, and the San Marino football team, who had previously never won a competitive match, won not one, but two.
In what may appear to a doom-laden year, let us spare a few moments to reflect on the many positives.
Alex Orr
Marchmont Road
Edinburgh
