- There is a life expectancy gap between the richest 1% and the poorest 15 of >14 years for men and > 10 years for women.
- The US economy added 156,000 jobs in September and wages rose by $0.06 per hour.
- Russia’s and China’s central banks bought almost 2,800 tons of gold since 2008.
- At current rates, by 2050 plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean.
- According to the US Census, 45% of Americans feel financially insecure. A majority are spending more than they make (54%). One-third have no savings.
- The total amount of methane produced naturally and by us is about 60% to 110% greater than previously estimated.
- Baby boomers aging accounts for 1.25% decline in GDP.
- An overall US personal finance anxiety index has risen from 20% to 36% in one year.
- The price of a lab-grown burger has come down from $331,400 to $10.
- Because of commodity drops, the wealth of the world’s 1,397 billionaires dropped from $5.4T to $5.1T.
- We lost 58% of wildlife between 1970 and 2012, and will probably lost 2/3 by 2020.
- Electric cars could account for a 40% reduction in “220,000 days of missed work, 109,000 asthma-related attacks, and 2,580 premature deaths per annum”.
Pretending Not To Panic 