“Every year, nearly 3 million babies die within the first month of life, most from preventable causes. More than a third of these babies die on their first day of life.”—Save the Children International.

In 2011, according to Public Health England, in 15 London boroughs, there was an increase in deaths from particulate-matter air pollution. Ironically, diesel has been promoted as green because it is more fuel efficient and emits less carbon dioxide. However, 91 percent of particulate-matter air pollution in that area comes from diesel vehicles.

According to a 2013 survey conducted by Russia’s Public Opinion Foundation, about 52 percent of Russians who identified themselves as Orthodox Christians said that they have never read even a part of the Bible, and 28 percent said that they rarely prayed.

Confusion over who owns farmland is hindering agricultural production and perpetuating poverty, notes a World Bank report. Half the world’s uncultivated usable land—some 500 million acres (202 million ha)—is in Africa, where agricultural productivity is said to be at a quarter of its potential.

A number of schools and universities are replacing textbooks with electronic tablets that are loaded with the necessary reading material, software, apps, and other media. Whether this is more cost-effective, however, has been questioned.