The new year 2023

An overview effect?

We need to move from thinking

economy,
society,
planet

to

planet,
society,
economy.

That’s when we’re going to continue
our evolutionary process.

– astronaut Ron Garan

2 comments

  1. Green checklist

    Here’s Wired’s “rundown of the best news to come out of 2022.”

    • Wired > “22 Things That Made the World a Better Place in 2022” by Sabrina Weiss (Dec 30, 2022) – this wasn’t just a year of negative headlines.

    1. US renewables generated more power than coal and nuclear
    2. The first train line switched fully to hydrogen
    3. Lab-grown meat was deemed safe to eat
    4. Scientists found a way to reduce shark bycatch
    5. Countries agreed on climate and biodiversity funding
    6. Beavers were given legal protection in England
    7. Wild mammals made a comeback in Europe
    8. A rare pigeon was captured on camera
    9. NASA gave us a detailed look at distant galaxies
    10. DART proved we can protect Earth from asteroids
    11. Humans got one step closer to returning to the moon
    12. Alzheimer’s became partially treatable
    13. Doctors performed the first pig-to-human heart transplant
    14. Spinal implants helped paralyzed people walk again
    15. Hair follicles were grown for the first time in a lab
    16. Abortion rights are advancing—outside the US
    17. More countries banned conversion therapy
    18. AI tools changed the way we create
    19. Patagonia founder gives away his billions to protect the environment
    20. The shorter working week finally caught on
    21. Young adults in Europe received cultural gifts for their birthdays
    22. Women’s sports surged in popularity

  2. Hopeful checklist

    Here’re Washington Post Opinions writers’ and cartoonists’ takes on starting 2023 on a hopeful note.

    • Washington Post > Opinion > “15 reasons you should be hopeful for 2023” by Washington Post Staff (December 27, 2022)

    Michele L. Norris: “… the once-marginalized elderly people I see everywhere who are still enjoying life in a country that did not imagine their full humanity — give me hope for a more stable future in these times of tumult and uncertainty.”

    Jennifer Rubin: “… we are seeing the guardrails of democracy and the rule of law reestablished.”

    Hugh Hewitt: Arizona’s expansive school choice legislation.

    E.J. Dionne Jr.: “… democratization powered by the energy of the young.”

    Jonathan Capehart: The Democratic Party’s Senate majority “will be the front line in defending our democracy and the constitutional rights …”

    Ann Telnaes: Equality for women (internationally).

    Gary Abernathy: Advances in medical treatments.

    Alexandra Petri: [Huh?]

    Eugene Robinson: The Supreme Court’s newest member.

    Megan McArdle: “… we might start rediscovering our common humanity.”

    Michael de Adder: A less polarized world.

    Catherine Rampell: “… the U.S. Energy Information Administration now projects that utility-scale battery storage capacity will more than double next year and nearly quadruple by 2025.”

    Karen Attiah: “… more will have access to the wisdom of these Black feminist [authors] icons.”

    Helaine Olen: “… the resilience of the human spirit to connect [in person] … gives me hope for 2023.”

    David Von Drehle: “Our lives are an education that no one ever completes. … That’s what makes me so hopeful and so eager for the future … Hope is a choice, strengthened through practice …”

    – – –

    On the downside, Nancy Gibbs’ article (December 27, 2022) about “news deserts” notes: “Voters in low-population states, which have disproportionate clout in the Senate, have dwindling sources of reliable news.”

    [Nancy Gibbs is the director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University.]

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