At the dawn of 2023, with 365 days to make a difference, here’s a snapshot of some solution-oriented new year’s resolutions to help the planet focus on repairing, resolving and reversing the impacts of climate change for the year ahead and beyond
January 1, 2023
Here’s a question for you: what would you say was planet Earth’s defining moment of 2022?
An impossible question for a year – like all that have come before it – that has seen innovation, chaos, progress and crisis all rolled into one.
Here’s another impossible question: in 2023, how can we solve the many global issues faced at the personal, societal, and most importantly, planetary scale?
Maybe some initial answers spring to mind, but there is no miracle cure for the many existential obstacles we face as individuals or as a species. Still, rather than regretting, repenting or resenting the shortcomings of people, whole countries and the planet over the past year, a better frame for 2023 would be that of reparation, resolve and of working together to reverse the damage that’s been already done.
One crisis in particular, to direct the second impossible question to, is climate change; a global challenge which over the past year has increasingly fallen victim to apocalyptic narrative which actually stymies the action required to tackle it.
Rather than losing hope, giving up, or laying blame, the global spotlight should instead be redirected onto solutions; whatever shape, size or sentiment they may behold, climate solutions should be the hopeful sliver of horizon sunlight that we are all focused on reaching.
However, such ambitions can only really be achieved if everyone on the planet works together, across borders, to pave a better path forwards to get us there.
At the end of the day, Earth, as a whole, is the sum of many smaller working parts, therefore both the individual as well as the international community will need to be equipped with the right mindset and tools to succeed in preserving it.
As Richard Feynman, possibly one of the greatest theoretical physicists (and person) of our modern times, famously said:
“Here I stand, atoms with consciousness, matter with curiosity. A universe of atoms, an atom in the universe.”
As we step into 2023, with an entire 365 days to make a difference, here’s a snapshot of some solution-oriented new year’s resolutions for people and the planet which can help us to take stock of the past, make the most of the present, and most importantly, secure prosperity for the future. There are no resolutions without solutions after all!
1. Accelerate transformation
What we’ve been doing since the industrial revolution, and continue to do today, is not working; the planet is in pain, and given that it supports all life as we know it, so is our species. Change is required, and therefore an essential new year’s resolution for the planet is to accelerate transformation.
Evolution is actually the best tool nature possesses to adapt to change over time, but the rate at which our environment is now being altered due to climate change, is too fast for natural selection to keep up. In order to adapt, thrive and survive on our warming planet, the change must come proactively, from us. We need to transform the way we consume, the way we produce energy, and the policy that shapes the functioning of global society.
We’re tired of hearing about the “how to’s” of shrinking our carbon footprints, but don’t let the noise distract you from the core and urgent message: there is an unsustainable buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, this poses a grave risk to humanity if we do not address it, therefore, your carbon footprint must shrink, as must that of every other person, society and nation on this planet.
How can this be achieved? Well there are many ways, but primarily by focusing on accelerating the clean energy transition and reducing impact at the industry level. The ball is already rolling in some parts of the world, we just need to keep pushing for holistic global participation.
For example, Europe has seen massive improvements in catalysing the shift towards solar energy this year. Despite the world being predicted to reach record levels of coal-use in 2022, it was actually a record year for Europe in solar PV installation which increased by almost 50% across the bloc, at the same time as the EU also hit a 30-year low in CO2 emissions. However, there is still room for improvement going forward, as it was also revealed this year that the G20 invested nearly $700 billion in fossil fuels in 2021.
Initiatives to reduce impact at the industry-level should also be given more airtime in the coming year, for example, the beauty industry’s “Commit for Our Planet” program, which encourages cosmetics companies to commit to reducing the environmental footprint of the sector. L’Oreal, L’Occitane and Unilever are just some of the industry’s big names who have signed on.
Ending plastic pollution will be major focus for 2023 as well, as a myriad of reports released this year revealed the devastating impact the ubiquitous material is having on the planet, and big companies such as Amazon, Coca-Cola and Nestlé, continue to come under fire for their contribution to single-use plastic waste.
These are just a few focal points of catalytic change that we can hope to see focused on more over the next 12 months, all of which will require a continuously evolving conversation around how policy can be reworked and reformed to facilitate the changes required.
The thing is, time is not on our side, the clock is ticking, and the window of opportunity to implement the change required to transition to a more sustainable, evergreen way of life that will futureproof civilisation, is fast-shrinking to the size of a monocle.
But that doesn’t mean hope is lost; because though monocles are just a small lens, they have immense capacity to correct the vision of society.
2. Bigger picture perspective
In order for these changes to root down and flourish, another important new year’s resolution for the planet is for everyone everywhere to adopt a planetary point-of-view. There must be a global commitment to collective climate action, and all nations must take part in helping to accelerate the rollout of the global infrastructure required to yield positive change.
Segmented societies limited by political and cultural borders pose an existential threat to our species, and the way we look at our existence in this world, at the personal, national and planetary level, should be as one species on a spinning rock, all in the same boat, all plugging the holes to keep it afloat.
This perspective should also be reflected in the agreements and policy products of international meetings, because global issues should be tackled as a global community, with global solutions, and there are a wealth of useful tools, technologies, and approaches that can aid us in reframing our worldview.
Continuing to drive global change through international gatherings such as COP will of course be a crucial commitment for 2023.
Further adopting the “One Health” perspective should also be top of the list of global priorities for the coming year, as we cannot ignore the interconnected nature of climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental decline and many other factors in holistically threatening global human health.
In order to make informed decisions and changes, we must first calibrate an accurate climate perspective to understand the root cause of the problems. When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, technologies such as ClimateTRACE may provide us with a zoomed-out angle of observation to track where emissions are coming from, and better define a planetary-scale action plan to reduce them.
A zoomed-out worldview will also be essential in successfully preparing for the climate migration of millions of people as the crisis intensifies; an impending inevitability which Gaia Vince, author of “Nomad Century” and advocate of climate migration-preparedness, says will “reshape our world,” and that divisions such as map borders will need to be redrawn.
3. Esprit de corps
A good way to discourage division and encourage collective action, is to foster solidarity in the face of adversity, and cultivate a support network for all people – both politically and philanthropically – to tackle the many shared hurdles we face. Togetherness must be one of the planet’s 2023 new year’s resolutions.
As UN Chief, Antonio Guterres reminded the world on International Solidarity Day last week: “The world is not short on solutions, yet we face a shortage of solidarity.”
How can we better stand up for one another, and forge a shared path towards a brighter version of our unequivocally interdependent futures?
The landmark loss and damage fund agreed upon in the concluding COP27 agreement was a good first step. Though many were disappointed with the outcomes of COP27, wealthy nations’ acknowledgment of the reparations required to help those suffering the worst of climate change’s impacts both repair and prepare, is progress that should be recognised. There is however, a long way still to go in our journey towards climate justice, which should underpin all climate conversations throughout the next year.
Supporting the NGO’s and activists – especially the youth – who are raising their voices against climate inaction and championing causes that will inspire change, should be a priority for everyone this year. Although, more effort should perhaps be made to reach a less destructive middle-ground when it comes to protests, so that we don’t continue to destroy cultural heritage in the form of masterpieces of the art world, which in its own right has the power to inspire climate action through eco-consicous exhibitions.
Empathy must be cultivated at all levels of society, and governing bodies should lead the way. More multilateral climate collaboration should be forged at the gatherings of global unions such as the EU, G20, G7, NATO, ASEAN for example, like the recent G7 “Climate Club”that was formed to keep the climate crisis top of the list of global priorities.
4. Open-minded innovation
As we’ve established, our collective bright future hinges entirely on our capacity to commit to change and adapt. But in order to make space for the required change, we must first commit to maintaining an open mind on solution-orientated innovation, another important new year’s resolution for the planet.
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When Thomas Edison – “the father of invention” – first pitched his idea for the electric lightbulb to his peers in the scientific community, he was laughed off the stage for such a ridiculous proposal. Imagine if that was the end of the story, would we be conducting our lives by candlelight?
No probably not, because someone else would surely have come up with something similar eventually, but the point remains: within reason, we only really stand to gain from innovation.
All this to say that the era of scientific scepticism, where naysayers too often disregard bold or imperfect ideas as inferior or useless, has to end. There is no room, or time left for close-minded elitism or methodological traditions is the scientific research community. If we are to push forwards and repair our broken planet, reversing the damage already done by climate change, then trial-and-error must become more widely accepted.
Some breakthrough innovations that could help repair the planet and reverse climate change include:
- Refreezing the arctic, like Sir David King and his group at the Centre for Climate Repairat Cambridge University are trying to do.
- More carbon-free flights, such as the one announced by Icelandic Air.
- Accelerating sustainable tourism, by calculating the carbon footprint of travel at the level of each airline passenger, such as is the mission of The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Prince Harry’s non-profit, Travalyst.
- Using AI to reduce waste in hospitality, by employing Winnow’s breakthrough kitchen bin image analysis technology to minimise food waste.
- Helping consumers track the impact of food choices, by adding climate labels to menus using Klimato’s web app to calculate the carbon footprint of each meal.
- Going plastic-free by using sustainable alternatives, such as Arqlite’s upcycled plastic building materials, or mushroom skins to make computer chips.
- Using human hair to clean up oil spills, like the “hairdressers who say no to landfill” as part of the Green Salon Collective.
5. Personal integrity
As much as the governments of the world have a responsibility to put aside their differences and prioritise climate action over short-term national political or economic gain, this climate responsibility must also be upheld at the personal level as well.
That’s why new year’s resolutions for the planet, must also come from the people.
Our planet is only as strong as it’s smallest working parts, and changes at the planetary level can only be realised if each level of society, all the way down to the individual, are each contributing their part.
Unfortunately however, through the lens of activism and altruism, climate action is too often compartmentalised as an enlightened philanthropic hobby, that many wish they had more time for, but don’t get round to in the busy schedule of everyday life.
In reality, rather than compassion or self-sacrifice, climate action is actually the ultimate form of self-care, and of ambitious planning for your own prosperous future. At the end of the day, if we do nothing, or even just simply not enough, then daily life will no longer be able to distract us from the climate crisis, because it will be entirely destabilised by it.
The bottom line, is that as James Clear, author of New York Times bestseller “Atomic Habits,” says in the book, “changes that seem small and unimportant at first, will compound and turn into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them.” If we can all employ this mindset to fuel the integration of sustainable practices intoour own daily lives, then the small individual improvements on a planet of eight billion will begin to have an immense impact.
To help the planet, and therefore your future self, Impakter has already composed a sustainable agenda for each month of 2023, all you have to do is follow it!
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This article was originally published on IMPAKTER. Read the original article.