<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Q &amp; A</h2>

Three decades on, the rains have once again failed the region. This time, however, the dangers are smaller. As researcher Alex de Waal observes, food aid is reaching affected areas and health clinics are treating malnourished children. Far fewer will die.

The main reasons? Peace, and better organisation in the central government. De Waal notes that with the end of major wars and the spread of democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people., "starvation has receded" around the world. The era of great famines, he concludes, could be over.

This story sounds a rare optimistic note in our dark news cycle. Faced with daily reports of conflict, murder and disease, we could be forgiven for thinking we live in an age of misery. But a growing group of thinkers are saying the exact opposite: we have never had it so good.

Take Steven Pinker. In his best-selling book The Better Angels of Our Nature, the psychologist argues that violence is at a historic low. He suggests multiple reasons, including the rise of commerce, the spread of literacy, and - echoing de Waal - the growth of effective centralised governments.

Ian Goldin and Chris Kutarna offer a different angle on human success. The academics point to new technologies, which make our lives more comfortable and our research more sophisticated. Throw in such factors as improved education and higher incomes, they claim, and the conditions are ripe "for ideas and genius to flourish".

The theory that we are in a golden age is gaining ground. There are more than enough statistics to back it up: say, the fact that more than one billion have been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1990. It has even won over Barack ObamaThe Democrat US president between 2008 and 2016., who recently told an audience of young British people that now is the best time in history to be alive.

It is certainly an appealing idea. But is it correct?

Without a doubt, say the optimists. The evidence speaks for itself: life expectancyThe number of years that a person can expect to live. is up, poverty is down, healthcare is improving, democracy is spreading and major international warfare is getting rarer. Cars and planes let us travel widely, and the internet plugs us into global events - all of which helps us break down prejudices and come together as a species.

Yes, reply the pessimists, but at what cost? Cars and the internet are useful, but they also isolate us, make us lonelier. Incomes may be rising, but so is inequality, which sows anger and division. And remember the two great dangers of our age, potentially more destructive than anything we have ever known: climate change and nuclear weapons. As the rewards pile up, so do the risks.

Why should I worry about what happens in other parts of the world? You don't have to. But it is worth remembering that, in this globalised age, distant crises can affect your life in unexpected ways. For example: a war in the Middle East can cause an oil shortage, which affects your country's economy, and drives up prices of various goods.

What with all the bleak news, how can anyone say that we "have it good"? Of course, not everyone agrees with Pinker and co. Bear in mind, though, that humans - and therefore the media - have an innate "negativity bias". This means that bad things make more of an impact on us than good, and we remember them for longer. In other words, the news tends to give us a misleading idea of the state of the world.

Ethiopia - A landlocked country in Africa. With a population of about 120 million, Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures.

Democracy - A system of government based on the idea of rule by the people.

Barack Obama - The Democrat US president between 2008 and 2016.

Life expectancy - The number of years that a person can expect to live.