EVERY year feels like a new beginning, but, as we explore in this issue, many events set for 2023 feel like opportunities for humanity to choose a more hopeful future.
Even the first day of the year will see a key turning point, with Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva taking office as president of Brazil. He replaces Jair Bolsonaro, who, for the past four years, has overseen destruction of the Amazon rainforest at a pace not seen in decades. Lula has promised to halt and reverse this devastation, and political leaders elsewhere increasingly understand the need to preserve trees (see 鈥�2023 could mark a turning point for the Amazon rainforest鈥�). We will all benefit from a protected Amazon.
Advertisement
Across the Atlantic Ocean, the European Union will also make a global impact. The bloc鈥檚 Artificial Intelligence Act, which will be debated and drafted throughout 2023, is the world鈥檚 first attempt to create broad standards for the use of AI (see 鈥淓U鈥檚 Artificial Intelligence Act will lead the world on regulating AI鈥�). While these would only legally apply in its 27 member states, the EU has a track record of inspiring global tech regulations, as giant firms like Meta find it easier to apply a one-size-fits-all model to their customers.
Even our diets are set to shift in 2023. The poultry industry is wrestling with the impacts of the avian flu crisis, which has effectively made it impossible to produce free-range eggs or chickens in many places (see 鈥淏ird flu vaccination may be the only way to have free-range chickens鈥�). The role the industry plays in causing or exacerbating avian pandemics that threaten birds shouldn鈥檛 be ignored either. At the same time, the first commercial factory for turning energy directly into food is due to launch in Finland, in a move that could massively cut the environmental impact of farming, if scaled up (see 鈥淎 factory will soon start making green food from air and electricity鈥�). Whether consumers will accept the transition from traditional food production to high-tech methods in an effort to save Earth remains to be seen.
All of that is without mentioning the new spacecraft set to visit moons, both ours (see 鈥淪paceX, Blue Origin and ULA plan to launch huge new rockets in 2023鈥�) and Jupiter鈥檚 (see 鈥淪pacecraft are heading to a metal asteroid and Jupiter鈥檚 moons in 2023鈥�), continued research into covid-19 vaccines (see 鈥淲hy we probably won鈥檛 get new covid-19 vaccines in 2023鈥�) and even efforts to understand the very nature of consciousness (see 鈥淲ill 2023 be the year we finally understand consciousness?鈥�). Yes, there will always be doom and gloom in the world, but there is a lot to look forward to this year.
