In 2022, more obstacles were imposed than mitigated, and responses to their reduction are a possibility in 2023.
Written By: Fernando Cafe
Pandemic. Geopolitical conflicts. Expansion of inequality. Violence and destruction of nature. The events of recent years show an instability that changes global dynamics and impacts the life of the worldwide population. With the arrival of a new period, the eternal questions of "What if? What happens now?" are prominent. Some of these challenges are already known and remain alarming.
With the increase of environmental problems, this difficulty needs stronger mitigation: preserving the environment. While in Brazil, the Amazon rainforest has a deforestation rate of 60% higher than in the last 4 years, European cities reached the highest temperature averages in history. At the same time, marine pollution through plastic waste has increased considerably, impacting several species' lives. Amid the multitude of adversities that threaten the future of humanity, it is an opportunity to develop and improve sustainable forms of environmental preservation by utilizing technology, harm reduction, and social engagement. This may be one of the most urgent agendas for this year.
Moreover, social inequality leads to subtracting a basic guarantee: food. Although food production has grown with the advent of technological advances, constant crises have called into question the proper distribution of food and nutrients to the poorest population for centuries. Today, according to data from the World Food Program, 823 million people face food insecurity. As a result, reducing this issue emerges as something essential to protect the right to human dignity.
In addition, access to education is also another relevant factor. With the COVID-19 pandemic, an education gap has widened school difficulties and led to obstacles in the learning process. Correcting this by democratizing human methodologies and integrating them into the context of the 21st century is needed to improve the educational training of the general population.
Although the challenges are rampant and essential, 2023 can come with the hope that these problems can be reduced somehow. After all, we will only have a new reality and a new year if we face the obstacles that prevent us from building a better future together.