host: welclcome to "globobal 3" this week's program highlights ththe sunnier siside of lif. 's l life-affirmrming and encouraging. we set out to reveal the many positive devevelopments on our planet and shothat over ththe years, human progress has actually made plenty of things a lolot better. not eveveryone's convinced of that, , however. a 2016 study asked people from 17 different countries whether they thought the world was getting better or worse.

just 11% believed things were improving. 30% thought things had more or less stayed the same. but the overwhelming majority, 58%, were of the opinion things were getting worse. reporter: this dramatic scene is one of a selection of photos taken by photographers in 2018 for the world press photo exhibition at the willy brandt haus in berlin. but which impression is it that we take home with us? one with positive foundations, providing us with inspiration, joy, and amusement? or do negative stories overshadow our view of the world? one that can be so cruel, unjust, so traumatizing and terrifying. the world in oxford is a more rarefied one. the english university town has a special appeal for those with open minds.

its venerable halls of learning have seen no shortage of unconventional thinkers, people who like to see things along alternative lines. hannah ritchie from scotland is no exception. she has a take on life that is fairly uncustomary. hannah: the world is not always a good place, but it's much, much better ththan it was in te past. and i think it's really important that we acknowledge this and understand this to make sure progress continues. repoporter: the post-doctoral researcher on global development is a champion of presenting the world as it is, including the good sides. she and her colleagues at the university's martin school research unit cocompile figurs and graphics for a database that emphasizes positive trends. it's featured on their website, our world in data. life expectancy, for example, has risen significantly across the world, from a global average of 46 in 1950 to over 70 now.

and the proportion of children dying before the age of five has steadily declined. in many countries, chihild mortality is now close to zero. the researchers also have encouraging news on the global poverty front. ovoverhe last 30 years the nunumber of people belowow the absolute poverty level, those with an income of less than $1.90 per day, has fallen by two thirds. hannah: the reason we need to understand these positive developments is because if you come with the belief that the world is continually getting worse and that none of the interventions that we had have actually worked, then you become really cynical about the world. and then i think you get into a position where you either feel like you can change nothing and give up, or you reach and grgrb for really quite extreme sosolutions. reporter: : scientists have e n literally been taking to the stage to publicize their encouraging findings. hans rosling, a swedish doctor

who died twowo years ago, wasa star on the internatational conference circuit. his lilighteni andnd enentertaining t ted talks havan viviewed by millllions online.e. hans: and d many in the e rich ununtries ey t think"oh, w we can never evernd e extme enentertaining t ted talks havan viviewed by poveverty."online.e. hansof couourse they thihink so. bebecause they d don't even kw what has happened. we havtoto be more sysystematc when w we fight devavastatin ignorancnce. hannahah: and then i i discovd the work of f hans roslingng, really realized all of the conceptions i'd had about how the worlrld was changiging were rereally wrong.. i had spent all these years in education, i kept up to dadate with the daily news, and i just had no idea. reporter: so why does news tend to be dominated by misery and suffering, while positive stories barely have an impact? media critic peter littger says the imbalance in coverage is no accident. peter: negative stories are just part of f the media product meu that we are served. reporter: and that menu, littger says, is determined intensese part of f the media product meu compmpetition in t the media w. whetheher print, onlnline, or td

radio, the dire to cou consumers and enhance your brand positioning leads to exaggeration and sensationalism, in the process turning human hreaderers and viewerers want, s and that is littger.y what peter: people are limited in their process of selection, limited to things that deviate from what they themselves see as normal. it might be unpleasant to accept, but we tend to define our own happiness via the misfortune of others. meaning, "i'm not affected."." that's why we need negative news stories. hannah: the really transformative changes don't happen as single events that you can report on a daily y basis. things happen every single day, the same thing every single e d, which you u may think are realy incremental, but over decades it's really transformative changes. and no one is reporting on it.

reporter: so how does the prevalent pessimism affect those who o are promoting a more balanceded vie far fr being dispointed orbittr team are happy t to see even modest progress, including at grade-school level. hannah: we see students drawing little maps and coloring them in based on a variety of parameters, whether it's of co2, or poverty. so they are really learning about the world and learning about it at this large-scale, which for us is s just the bet thing to see.. reporter: and what better place for hannah's team to celebrate the human story than the gloucester green market. a buffet of global culinary delights, just around the corner from her office -- a microcosm of the modern world. and here, it is without doubt a positive world.

host: our "global ideas" series regularly features people striving t to change thihingsr the bett.. this week k we go to sououthern okekenya, a vast t area home ta wide variety of f flora and fau, particularly in the amboseli national park, the region's main tourist attraction. it's also home to o the maasaia peoplele that traditionally practicece strict gendnder ros but as ourur repter bebettina thoma discovered, here, to thin arere chaing. reporter: early morning in southern kenya, near the tanzanian border. purityty: my name isis puriy lakara. i i olgulului community ranger. teteam lioss.. we u usually go toto the mornino

exercises, to prepare ourselves for the rmrmal patrol.l. to make sure that are bodies a e ady y to wk and d no longer asleep. reporter: she works in a large area of maasai community land, the olgulului-olarashi group ranch. it almost surrounds the amboseli national park at the foot of momount kilimanjnjaro. puririty lakara isis one of et young women n o have recently mpmpleted eir r trning as raers.s. ad ranger is patck p papiti. gether they plan tirir daily ssssions. eir work c be e very dangerers.s. patrick:k: we work in a ve, very gether tharsh terrain. daily sssse e bush iththick.e e very so bfalolos,any of them are out. metitimeelephants, when u u go to the thietets of t busushe epephantare ththe, snakearare there. b that cos with t trtrning, and the precautitionw

would yobe aware of your environmen a as you outut a workrk. reportrter: team lioioness, ase eight are known, is one ofhehe firsall-l-fema rangeger its in kenynya, and the v very first e up of f maasai womenen. tritionallll maasai women are consider w weak ando n not puue an ocpapationutsisidefst e up othe family womenen. rict rul and hierchies,observi the oup is pnning a troleing inhe area rroundinthe four ra all, , ere are 70 range cocommhe. landnd rityty: really y like our jobb also the community to ma s sure that we e can create a a condue environmenent to both, a and ad interaction between the wild ananimals d ththe counity.y. repoporter: severaral thousand elephants lilive here, tooo. they move back and forthetetween natitionalarks i ithe west and

the east of the country, and trtraverse maasai i lands alone way. therere are no fencnces bag their pathth. puririty lakara anand the resf her teteam travel longisistancs on foot. bebetween 20 andnd 40 kilometea day.y. the same as the male ranrsrs. among ththeir most impmportant duduties italklking peoplple o live here. the maasai a s semi-nodicc pastalalists whoovover aot offd encounter wild animals ang the way. sometimemes lions killll catt, elephants rarampage in vililla. the e rangers need to hear a at oboblems and be e informed iff poachersrs are in the area. ththey chart aninimals' movemt patterns and register their gps coordinates. rait's a way for these women t o break ouout of strict t traditl gender roles. but job is far frorom easy.

puri: sosomemes it isdidife buffalos andlelephantsre v ver harsand they can kilyou.u. sosoe are even scared because we are very mh h concerd ofof our buffalos andllife..ntsre v ver we want toto live long s so the can prototect them. so whi w we are walkining in te bues w we e very keen becaee u knowowuffalos n n hiden small l shes, so you mig notot aware, but whenouou rea the bush ican n ki you. reporterer: once a mononth, puy laka visisits r famimilyn eir village for a week's brk.k. her daughter lives here, and i look aftfter bthe exexteed family. her female relatives make jejewelry d sesell ito tououriss viviting the national parks nebyby. r maasai women, this kind ofbud controroversial. itit is alson n impoant sosource

r maasaof income.his kind ofbud it allowed pitity laka's motherer to pay her r childres school feeees. purity: : i told my fafather ay mother t that you haveve educd me. yoyou want me toto come anjujust pre without any work, so why ay ththen he you u educed me,e, ifd yoyou don't wantnt me to go anad work?? then i told them, because uu ha eduducateme, i i wa you too yrelease meme to become a range. they aoweded me at. reportrter: and withth her regr income, , she can supppport her famimily. thatat has earned d her respt n the e community. parkesesian: having g seen puy and the e other girls s in the rangerer unit, and s seeing tm working, w we are convinincede made t the right dececision. any other girl who wl l be accepteded into a rangnger unitl

also have our acceptance. reporter: purity lakara is and that wilill one day bebent pionheher daughter a as well. the job created a strong bond between the female rangers. itit tk a while toto convince e llage e elrs to o give them pepermission to o do the work.k. the projecect was initiaiated be ngo o internatioional fund for animal w welfare. james: this is a c community tt is rlllly male domininated, a l, so the girirl child, womomen dt have a lot o of say in a l lof issueses. so we have been empowewering th, not just to join the ranger force, but a also in termsms of education anand scholarshihips. so, , we want to s see, in gen, womemeplaying a bigger re e in conservation matteters here.

reporter: the women rangers live in tents for now, but proper housing is beingnglanned. they spe t three wksks togetr at a a stretch. that creates a sen o of community. purity: we discussed, haveouou be injnjuredhave y youeen scared, are e you ready toto contue witith this w work? then when we m meet togeth we encourage ourselelves, l's just try it, , 's all about the job. so, enen we come togogethe we tatalk about smallll things le that andnd even e ininteractin between usus and m. we talalk about it, and d we ae ourselelves. repoporter: this k kind of fee powerment and self-determitition is meththing nenew in their s society, butt appearars to be catctching on.ee announcecer: repression and discrimination are part of life for r many women a around the w. o our newacebebook annel,l, d

women, you'll find stories about those taking a stand, and inspiring others to do the same. dw women gives a voioice to te women of our world.. host: have you ever seen a whale in the wild? whale-watching excursions provide an opportunity to get up close to these gentle giants. whales can be spotted in deep waters around the globe, from the west coast of north america, across the seas to south africa, europe, japan, through to australia, and new zealand. and something sensational is happening, too. humpback whales are once again being sighted in several places. in the 1970's, widespread commercial whaling nearly caused their extinction. then in the 1980's, whaling was largely banned. and now humpback whales are returning to areas where they hadn't been seen for decades.

reporter: whale-watchers off-shore near new york. >> welcome aboard the american princess. this is the only vessel out from new york city that has that fabulous mission of photographing and recording the humpback whales that have established a feeding ground in new york city. reporter: every summer the humpback whales migrate here in search of food, and are now believed to have strayed as far as the busy shipping lanes of new york harbor. celia ackerman works for the gotham whales conservation group, and is out here almost every day on the look-out for humpbacks. celia: the humpback whales have recovered significantly since the heyday of commercial whaling, because of that protection, and our waters now are also cleaner than they've been in decades. >> two whales s right next to eh other, starboard side, right-hand side. reporter: then we see the first

two whales spouting. a sign that they're on the hunt. the whale-watchers are then also treated to a pod of young dolphins. a key prey for both dolphins and humpback whales is menhaden. it's an oily forage fish that is inin rich supply in these wate. what looks like rain hitting the water is actually a dense school of fish. the menhaden often cluster in such concentrations that they can be easily spotted from the air off the coast of long island. the fish feed off algae andd plankton that have absorbebed carbon dioxide. as such, menhaden are both invaluable filter-fish for the ocean and a vital part of the marine food chain. celia: they not only supply food for whales and dolphins, but also for other species of fish like striped bass, blue fish,

shark, sea-birds. they're what's known as a keystone species. reporter: menhaden are an easy catch for whales, but also for commercial fishing fleets. their catches reached a level where there were not enough fish left for the whales and dolphins. the introduction of fishing quotas in 201313 saw stocks recover, and the whales return. further south in reedville, virginia, menhaden provide the main source of income. the omega protein corporation is the last company on the east coast of the u.s. to catatch menhaden on an industrial scale. but not for the dinner table. their omega-3-rich flesh is turned into fish-oil or fish-meal. monty: these fish here appear to be probably three to four years old, based on the size. but representatives from the noaa, the fisheries' agency, actually will come here and take a sampling and they will actually determine the exact age of those fish.

and based on where we catch them, which is in our captain's logs, they will help track that species, the biomass of menhaden. reporter: the menhaden are a big deal in reedville. until recently there were no official limits on catches of the fish. their stocks seemed inexhaustible, except they weren't. overfishing brought menhaden close to extinctioion in the 1960's, byby which point t the whales had a already left. omega protein insists there is no danger of that happening again, thanks to the quota. monty: there's no overfishing going on. and the fact is that the fishery only takes about 6% to 8% of the biomass every year. 6% to 8%. the other 94% to 96% of that biomass is left out there to serve its ecological purpose. reporter: no menhaden, no huhumpbackhaleles -- simplple serve enoughquation. purpose. but the figugures cited byby e fiining indury a are disputed dy

scientists, who are opposed to any increase in the permitted fishing quotas. other animals such as the sea-hawk also feed o othe menhaden. it's a pivotal element of the entire ecosystem. we join researcher ellen pikitch from long island's stony brook university for a trip on her research ship. they're studying the biodiversity here in shinnacock bay, w which serves as a kind f nursery for a range of atlantic fish, including menhaden. using bait made of mussel flesh, they set up an underwater camera and trap on the bottom of the bay, always at the same spot. a few hours later, the scientists will retrieve the latest findidings for their long-term study. ellen: the concept that we need to take into account, not only the amount of fish available to fish, but the amount of fish available to eat by whales, by striped bass, by tunas, by

shararks -- that concept has bn heard loud and clear. reporter: the team records and measures everything picked up by the trap, from baby blowfish to shrimp. all links in the chain of the ecosystem which the whales depend on for food. ellen: we see large schools right off of the coast of new york city. you know, it's incredible. this is something that during my lifetime i've not been able to see before. so, it's just incredible to be able to see it now. reporter: her excitement is shared by tourists who go on the four-hour-long whale watching tours. >> when you think new york, you don't think whales. you think cabs and crowds. but it's nice to know that there's wildlife right off the beach. >> they're here, we love it. it's cool. >> we're native new yorkers, so we're skeptical about everything. so when they said there were whales out here, we had to see it to believe it. because we go back to the days when there was no life out here.

reporter: the gotham wales activists advocate for the whales and against higher fishing quotas. will there be enough m mhaden for all l parties in the long term? celia: there can be enough for both if it's done properly. reporter: and that'something thconservationonists want to ensure, in the hope that migrating humpback whales will keep on returning to feed on fish in the waters off new york city. host: and now we're off to northern europe, where we've been invited into a home in iceland.

sophia: hi, my name is sophia,. hverageroi is a small village in the sosouthern part of ilalan. i wantnt to welcome you into y home. so this is our living room. and here we stay most of the time. our house is built on a hot area. we never have to warm it up, not in the winter time, because it's always hotot. comfortablble. this is s also my favorite t tg here. it's from my mother. i grew up with this. and the flowers. this, for example, is a gift from a very good friend. and i really love these things. also these chairs, they are there since i remember, since was i was a little girl. also this chair here, it's very old.

i think it is around 250 years old and it comes originally from denmark, some danish people in the old days. this is mymy favorite thing he, my blüthner. it's an old grand piano since 1884. i sometimes play it. i could maybe try. ♪ this is our kitchen here. and we have very fresh w wate, enough of warm water. it's so clear, you just drink it. it's very clear, very good cold water.

nam. so, i have a lot of african things, for example, here in the window. well, this is my husband. this is my husband, he is watching the weather news. my husband's n name is danny. okok, hi, danny. it's me e and my husband, , our mothers,s, our children,n, hes four and i have four, and grandchildren. i hope you enjoyed visiting me and my husband here in hverageroi, and i hope you will come here to visit iceland, our beautiful country. see you here. bye- bye. host: that's all this time. did you enjoy our look at the brighter side of life? drop us a line to

global3000@dw.com . and don't forget, we're on facebook, dw women. see you next week. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

- whatat's your prprobm? whwhat's your soluti?? this is an interviview series about making the world a better place. in the campaign to reverse global warming most scientists, politicians, and entrepreneurs look for new technology. amory lovins, the visionary founder of rocky mountain institute, has led the global conversation about energy for more than 40 years. this is kampmp solutions. why are you growing banananas at 7,000 feet in your home? well, it used to g go to minus s 40 and below out here, and when we were building this passive h house