The Vibe Shift is Here: What It Will Mean for Us and the Planet in 2023

Despite the difficulties encountered around the world, we end 2022 with reason for optimism: The year saw marked progress for the climate and oceans, and a global change in the vibe to prioritize health on our planet. We are in the midst of a major change that is evident in the way people interact with each other, the activism of a new generation, how business is conducted, consumer expectations of companies they support, and prevailing sociocultural values.

In the first days of the new year, we have a unique opportunity to set the tone for what 2023 – a year that will surely be important in determining the severity of the climate crisis – will look like on the planet.

From my perspective as a scientist who has been working on climate change and environmental sustainability since before the crisis made headlines, here are the four biggest trends I’ve seen define the 2023:

1. Climate change and environmental activism

Climate change is happening, leaving millions of people to suffer the effects and putting biodiversity at greater risk. Many people are left feeling powerless.

But instead of paralysis and anxiety, 2023 will see a rise in activism. The past years have proven that major institutions such as and cannot solve the challenges we face today. The glacial pace required to get global agreement on climate pledges and agreements – and then act on them – is not suited to the solutions we need today. This general realization drives new activism: We see that it is up to us to make the change that is needed.

This year, climate activism took many forms:

• Direct action: Actions such as activists throwing soup cans at major artworks will continue or increase as more people, who are vulnerable to climate change and feel ignored, want to mobilize real action.

• Consumer activism: Individuals will increase their meaningful purchasing and investment choices to reflect their environmental values. The general public is realizing that an investment in the planet is an investment in themselves and their children. This trend will increase the heat of financial institutions and corporations.

• Shareholder activism: We see this emerging in 2022 in the boardrooms of oil companies, with shareholders using their equity stake to force the company’s decisions on climate change. It will grow by 2023: The money talks.

• Scientific activism: For decades now, scientists have been publishing peer-reviewed reports and publications alerting politicians and the public to the consequences of climate change – consequences that are happening right now. Many of them are speaking out publicly and forcing action.

• Career choice activism: In late 2022, I met some young people who changed jobs especially to pursue positions where they felt they could act directly to influence climate change and the environment. We will see it again in 2023.

These climate trends are beginning to create new communities united by shared planetary values ​​and forced to act. Now is the time that CEOs, corporations, boards and politicians with fiduciary and moral obligations should pay attention and stay ahead of these trends with stronger and meaningful ESG policies and climate.

2. The influence of AI technology is growing and becoming a force in science and climate decisions

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly developing, becoming more sophisticated and able to solve more complex problems at a faster pace. AI is revolutionizing science, accelerating the rate of data collection and analysis. By 2023, the use of AI will accelerate and become more critical in climate change and biodiversity decisions.

• Scientists use isotopes to track how water moves through the hydrological cycle – flowing between oceans, skies, land and rivers – and study how climate changes these patterns. Analysis is often a complex and slow process. Now using AI, scientists can easily analyze and interpret large amounts of data already in global repositories.

• With Ocean-Shotthe coral reef restoration project that I launched last year off the coast of Antigua
  and Barbuda, we are placing AI cameras on the ocean floor to monitor patterns of reef and ecosystem biodiversity, and reef recovery. These data will drive our decisions on the next reef restoration effort.

In the coming year, AI will help speed up data interpretation, predictions and decisions. For example, adaptive management – a type of “learning by doing” – has become a hallmark of ecosystem assessment and endangered species management, often relying on slower long-term data gathering, models and assessments by scientists. AI can speed up this process and identify problems early, before it’s too late to make changes.

3. Nature restoration comes first

The importance of nature and healthy ecosystems for combating climate change, maintaining biodiversity, and supporting our own survival is ultimately realized at every level. the US the government announced in 2022 that it would begin to include the value of intact ecosystems in US economic indicators. This trend will expand and increase in 2023, where investments are prioritized in the public and private sectors.

Nature itself provides the tools to fight climate change – it has the potential to sequester 30 percent of the carbon we produce. Governments and developers – and should be more – invest in and use these nature-based sustainability solutions. Here’s what it looks like in action:

• Restoring and protecting wetlands, marine forests and coral reefs can help reduce flooding and coastal erosion while protecting lives and property from rising sea levels.

• The city’s green spaces and tree-lined streets help absorb carbon emissions, reducing the effects of urban heat islands.

• For coastal cities, building concrete barriers into bioswales — like this one recently Queens, New York
  project — and protecting wetlands will help better manage runoff and stormwater runoff, while simultaneously providing cooling shade for residents during heat waves.

4. More investment in carbon capture and alternative energies will lead to further industrial consolidation

All over the world, we rely on a reliable supply of energy to fuel our cars, power our laptops, and power our coffee machines. The battle of Ukraine it is an eye opener for many of us that, despite our huge investment in renewable energy sources, we have few options for reliable energy sources that are not based on fossil fuels.

The good news is that these global geopolitical events are driving investment in alternative energy sources and carbon capture technologies.

In 2023, we will see more investment – but money will no longer be “cheap,” and financing will also come with a greater emphasis on return on investment that will favor some startups and technologies. This will lead first to more startups, but then to more consolidation and faster scaling of companies and technologies emerging as leaders.

Some fear that carbon-capture technology will eliminate the impetus to reduce fossil fuel use and become a corporate greenwashing tactic. Fear is infallible; however, when it comes to the climate crisis, it’s an “all hands on deck” moment. Technology is not the only answer — it is part of a series of solutions that must also include reducing emissions and widespread adoption of renewable energy.