We worry about the seemingly ever-increasing number of natural catastrophes. Yet this is mainly a consequence of CNN - we see many more, but the number is roughly constant, and we manage to deal much better with them over time. Globally, the death rate from catastrophes has dropped about fifty-fold over the past century.

Summary

This quote highlights how our perception of natural catastrophes has been influenced by media coverage, particularly by outlets like CNN. While it may feel like there has been a rise in the number of such events, the actual occurrence of catastrophes has remained fairly consistent. Moreover, this quote underlines that humanity has significantly improved its ability to handle these disasters over time. The global death rate from catastrophes has decreased by roughly fifty times over the last century, indicating our progress in mitigating the impact of such events.

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