Originally published on the CGS blog on January 2, 2015.
2014 has been quite a year: from climate change to the World Cup to the recent revelations about the US’s torture strategies, it is clear that we still have a ways to go. And while it is easy to remain cynical as we enter a new year, there is still room for hope. The same problems may not, in fact, have the same solutions (or lack thereof) in 2015.
Take climate change. We have already seen advances in technology that are leading to possible solutions all over the world. These local programs – such as recycling programs, solar-powered boats, and a revolutionary biofuel clean up project using algae – all have the potential one day to be global solutions.
In fact, many of my posts have implicitly highlighted this: local solutions are often the stepping-stone to global policies and practices. Whether it is at the country level, the company level, or at the much more local level, small changes can culminate in widespread results.
Admittedly, however, there is still much cause for skepticism. For example, the year has shown us the continued failure to regulate fishing, which has significant implications not only for our ecosystem, but also for millions of people in developing countries. While once again there are local solutions, like the sustainable fishing co-op CatchBox, there is still a role for government to play if we want to see improvements on a global scale.
I wish I could end this post with the same cliché “new year, new me” optimism that we see plastered over the internet, but unfortunately I have to take a more qualified stance: new year, maybe new world. The outcomes of 2015 depend very much on local, national, and international actors; the local level may drive changes, but it is up to governments to implement those changes. At the international level, the credibility and future of the UN hinges very much on its ability to act timely and effectively on such matters as climate change, which is quite far from a sure thing.
Addressing the issues of 2015 can very easily be analogized to setting a New Year’s resolution: the success of that resolution ultimately rests on you. As we enter a new year, citizens, politicians, and governments alike must recognize that it is up to us to solve our own problems. Unlike a New Year’s resolution, we cannot just sit idly by and try again next year.
