Reasons to be cheerful in 2023

Are you a doomscroller? If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to stop obsessively checking your phone for scary headlines, you’re not alone: one in five people in a recent survey wanted to cut back on depressing news.?

But is there anything positive out there to replace the gloom? The team at H&B thinks so! While there’s a lot to be fixed in the world, at least some things are going in the right direction. Here, then, are seven reasons to be cheerful (or at least cheerful-ish) in 2023.?

1 / The beginning of the end of coal?

The world is set to add as much renewable power to the energy mix over the next 5 years as it did in the past 20 according to the International Energy Agency. Not only that, but renewables will overtake coal to become the largest source of global electricity by early 2025. But it’s??not all good news: in absolute terms, coal consumption hit an all-time high in 2022, surpassing 8 billion metric tons in a single year for the first time.

Cheerfulness index: 60%

2 / A welcome shot in the arm

Covid vaccines saved 20 million lives in their first year according to a study by the Lancet. The model, which reviewed data from 185 countries, found that vaccines cut the potential global death toll from Covid in half. So… is this one an entirely positive story? Not really. A further 600,000 lives could have been saved if the World Health Organization's?goal of vaccinating 40% of the population in every country by the end of 2021 had been achieved.

Cheerfulness index: 50%

3 / The oldest form of nature tech

Humpback whale populations have almost entirely recovered to nearly the levels they were in the pre-whaling days of the early 19th?century. A study of humpbacks off the coast of Brazil showed numbers back up to 93% of their former level. Attributed in large part to a ban on commercial whaling in 1986, this humpback renaissance demonstrates what determined conservation efforts can achieve. This is doubly good news, as whales play a surprising role in combating climate change. Each large whale absorbs 33,000 tons of CO2?in its lifetime (the equivalent of around 14,000 trees). And where whales go, phytoplankton grow. These small sea creatures already absorb 40% of the world’s CO2— and a 1% rise would be equivalent to planting 2 billion mature trees. There’s never been a better time to save the (many) whale species who remain on the endangered list.

Cheerfulness index: 80%

4 / ?Small cracks in the glass ceiling?

In 2022, 27 countries were led by women. Scandinavia led the charge, with Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden all counting female prime ministers, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen topped Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful women. But these individuals are the exception. Overall, women only make up 21% of ministers, gender disparities are worsening, and it will take 300 years to reach equality at the current pace.

Cheerfulness index: 20%

5 / Saving children’s lives

The global mortality rate for children under 5 has dropped by 60% in 30 years. Around 7.5 million children’s lives are saved each year by?proven, low-tech and cost-effective measures such as vaccines, skilled delivery at birth, and treatment for common childhood diseases.?But with improvements closely linked to countries’ development, the clouds currently hanging over the global economy could slow future progress.?

Cheerfulness index: 80%

6 / Rail renaissance in Europe

Want a holiday but feeling guilty about your carbon footprint? European travelers can now visit a host of destinations without going near an airport. New overnight train routes will soon link Paris and Vienna, Zurich and Rome and London and Bordeaux, among many others. Time to buy an eye mask, kick back for the night and wake up in another country.?

Cheerfulness index: 100%

7 / Harnessing star power

US scientists reached a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion. Researchers for decades have attempted to recreate nuclear fusion – replicating the fusion that powers the sun. This experiment produced, for the first time ever, a reaction that resulted in a (very small) net energy gain. Admittedly, we’re decades away from a nuclear fusion power station, if it happens at all. But the glimmer of hope is there.

Cheerfulness index: 90%

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Happy New Year to all our clients and partners from the team at HOLLIS & BEAN. We hope you enjoyed our compilation of reasons to be cheerful. And if you'd like to share links to any more positive news to kick the year off... we'd love to hear from you!