Well, we did it, we completed one more revolution around the Sun. The year 2025 holds many hopes and aspirations for many people, and why shouldn’t it? The year prior has brought up a lot of uncertainty about the way the world works. From generative AI progressing rapidly, to assassination attempts, to the incredible polarization our Nation felt during the past year’s election cycle, it’s been a bit much to chew. With that being said, it’s important to know that 2024 was not a terrible year by any means. For every piece of bad news, I prefer to believe there is a piece of good news. So let’s take a look at just a couple of good news stories we can try to emulate in the New Year.
I’d like to start off by saying that despite what Hollywood may put out there about the developments of AI, it’s actually proven to be incredibly useful in our society. Planning, scheduling, and even answering random questions on Google has become incredibly easy. Not only that, but AI has already had lifesaving impacts on our world. Many fire watchtowers have begun using an AI-enhanced camera imaging system to detect fires in remote areas throughout the Western United States. The new application of this technology helped in identifying 77 wildfires beginning before any 911 calls had been made for them. NASA has also been using AI to help detect solar flares from the Sun early. To put it simply, AI is a tool that we can use to help us in our society, and these are just a couple of stories of people doing exactly that.
Renewable energies have also made leaps and bounds globally in the past year. In fact, India recently finished their first solar panel installation in a remote village. It’s a new model for more sustainable living in rural areas. Wave harnassing technology has also made progress. The Department of Energy speculates that the ocean waves have enough potential energy to provide two trillion Watts of power. MIT scientists are designing new ways of trying to harness this power with anaconda-like receptors that flow with the tide. It’s cutting-edge technology that can help so many coastal populations and those that are farther inland through energy import. Whether we like it or not, we seem to be leaving more and more of an impact on the ecosystems around us. Looking at these stories of sustainable initiatives can help us understand how to move forward as a global society.
Continuing on the theme of earth health, many different National Parks and wildlife conservationists made moves to reinstitute natural wildlife across the nation. In the North Cascades of Seattle, Grizzly Bears were reintroduced in hopes of bringing up the population again. In another story, our very own state of Kansas released several Alligator Snapping Turtles in hopes of bringing them back. Once a natural part of our ecosystem, Alligator Snapping Turtles have been all but lost from our waterways since 1991. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks teamed up with Missouri State University to release tagged turtles in the Neosho River of Eastern Kansas.
This is naught but the tip of the iceberg of good news that happened in the year 2024. There are so many wonderful things that happen in our personal lives and in the world around us, it just sometimes takes patience to observe. As the new year takes off, I would encourage you to look through your memories of the previous year and take time to reminisce over the good times, it can be rather rewarding.
