Good News from 2023 For the Environment and Our Planet

Climate change is one of the biggest concerns in our society today, and more and more young people are trying to engage in eco-friendly behaviors. Contributing to the fight against pollution and global warming is becoming more critical every day, and people are beginning to understand this. But every day, it seems like our efforts are in vain, failing to achieve a real impact on the situation. Indeed, the media constantly shows negative and often disturbing news about our natural world, warning us against the alarming situation that scientists stress us to consider. And they are right: we must continue to fight for our future on Earth. However, it would be wrong to say that nothing has improved today. With all the bad news we see daily on TV, social media and newspapers, it is no wonder we are left feeling overwhelmed. Therefore, here is some significant and hopeful news from 2023 about our efforts against the destruction of our planet.

Humans have been killing and eliminating entire species for a long time. Studies show that humans are currently leading the sixth mass extinction episode in our planet’s history. But these past few decades have witnessed scientists and animal rights activists fighting to save endangered species from extinction. And their action is finally taking effect to a small but crucial extent. 

Recently, scientists in the Biorescue consortium successfully implanted a southern white rhinoceros named Curra with northern white rhino embryos for the first time in history. Northern white rhinos are critically endangered, as the last two living individuals are female and the last male of the species died in 2018. While a flood disaster occurred in Curra’s enclosure, freeing a bacteria that killed her and the baby, the analysis allowed scientists to discover that the implantation was successful and that a 70-day-old northern white rhino baby was growing healthy and strong. For the first time in history, in vitro fertilization using a surrogate was proven successful, a breakthrough that offers hope for the future of the northern white rhinos. 

On a similar note, a study conducted by the National Snow Leopard Survey of 2022-2023 in Bhutan demonstrated an increase of 39.5% in the snow leopard population, a rise from 96 individuals in 2016 to 134 today — A great reward for the conservation efforts initiated by the country. 

Fortunately, such news doesn't only concern terrestrial animals. Indeed, scientists discovered new deep-sea coral reefs in perfect condition in a previously unexplored part of the Galapagos marine reserve, reaffirming the need and efficiency of protected areas for the fauna and the flora. On the other side of the world, a study has shown that the North Atlantic whale population has been stabilizing and even increasing, with an estimated 356 individuals alive today. This is truly wonderful news for all the efforts put into protecting these animals and fighting against traffic and illegal hunting.

On another note, scientific research has been working hard to make discoveries about our world and how our technology can help in this climate crisis. We have discovered only around 86% of our planet’s species, and scientists can’t help but wonder what new characteristics we might find. How about plastic-eating bacteria? Scientists have recently discovered a diverse microbiome of plastic-degrading bacteria and fungi in salt marshes on the Jiangsu coasts in China. They made the great discovery of 436 species of bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down plastic. They now hope to develop an enzyme that is efficient in degrading plastic waste biologically. It is not the first time such bacteria were discovered; in 2001, a group of Japanese scientists made a similar discovery.

Innovation and discoveries do not stop at organisms. The first carbon-absorbing machine called the Heirloom Carbon Technologies in California, has opened its doors and has started working on our atmosphere over the past few months. Today, it can absorb 1000 tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to around 200 cars. Even though this may seem quite small of an improvement, it may develop in the future into more significant innovations that could help with the disastrous CO2 levels in our air.

We all know how crucial it is to reduce our CO2 emissions because this molecule is the primary driver for global warming and, therefore, climate change. Most countries today have agreed to limit their production of CO2 through diverse policies, including decreasing the consumption of fossil fuels or finding alternatives for everything involving dangerous gas release. During the COP28 in Dubai in 2023, scientists and politicians agreed that we must decrease CO2 emissions by 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035. Therefore, it only makes sense to wonder: is it even possible?

Answering this question is complex because many factors come into consideration. However, we can already see the effects of such efforts in many countries. In France, CO2 emissions are decreasing at a steady rate, so much so that in 2023, the country has seen a decrease of 4.6% of its emissions compared to 2022. Though much is still to be done to reach the carbon-neutral goal by 2050, it may become possible if this improvement continues. In Germany, a similar trend is observed: in 2023, the CO2 emission levels dropped to their lowest record since the 1950s due to the government's and the population's intense efforts. Indeed, less coal-fired power and reduced output by energy-intensive industries are part of these initiatives that might turn things to our advantage, although these will never be efficient enough if climate policy changes do not back them up. 

But this good news doesn't only concern individual countries: in 2023, fossil fuel CO2 emissions were found to have returned to their 1960s levels in the entire European Union, which emitted 8% less than in 2022. Although such improvements are not yet enough to reach the target reduction in global temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius, we can only hope they will be in the next few years.  

How is this possible? Even though it is clear sustained efforts are needed in this field, the situation might turn to our advantage considering the recent improvements in technology and the initiatives taken by countries in moving towards the production of clean energy. In November 2023, Portugal powered itself entirely by renewable energies for a whole weekend. The country, using mostly wind and hydroelectric power, generated 172.5 GWh from Friday to Monday, and utilized only 131.1 GWh. — he rest of the available renewable energy was sold to Spain. Portugal had achieved similar feats several years before, in 2016 and 2018. Many argue that though this is impressive, it shall soon become a common practice in the country.

Of course, this achievement is quite the exception in our world. But it is not the only hope one might have. In 2023, the United States increased its solar power by 55% compared to 2022. Studies expect solar energy to become the largest energy source in the US by 2050 —a slow but strong improvement.

All around the world, people are making efforts to live more sustainably and it is worth noting that even the smallest efforts can have a significant impact, especially if more and more people commit to it. Likewise, in 2023, the search engine Ecosia officially announced it planted 200 million trees. A growing number of climate analysts now believe 2023 is the year where CO2 emissions reach their final peak and that the fossil fuel economy starts its slow but terminal decline. Equally, the International Energy Agency predicts 2023 to be the turning year for the fossil fuel era, a claim supported by many experts worldwide. 

That said, much action is still needed to truly have the tables turned to our advantage regarding climate change and global warming. Our future is uncertain, but we can rest assured that there are dedicated experts who consider these issues with the importance they deserve. Despite the widespread media coverage of doomsday scenarios that propel fear and hopelessness every day, we must not forget that our world will slowly but surely heal, starting now.