In 2024, over 80% of European habitats were deemed to be in “poor” condition. After a major political commitment to restore habitats in that same year, E.U. member states make huge strides and ultimately meet their 2050 goal eight years early in a major win for endangered species, climate action, ecosystem services, and human recreation.
In 2042, every nation formally signs the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, committing to a total phase-out of coal, oil, and gas. This historic accord provides the market certainty needed to redirect trillions into renewable energy, combating the climate crisis, drastically reducing air pollution, and creating tens of millions of green jobs around the world. It marks the definitive end of the fossil fuel era.
After decades of pressure from citizens and civil society groups, the Ecuadorian government formally bans all oil and gas production and transitions to renewable energy sources and climate-friendly industries.
The majority of cars on the roads around the world are now powered by electricity rather than fossil fuels, drastically reducing the carbon emissions produced by transportation and preventing millions of deaths caused by air pollution. This historic milestone was achieved through aggressive government incentives, improved and less expensive EV technology, and consumer awareness.
After decades of slow but meaningful progress, the world finally hits “peak cancer” where total deaths begin to decline due to a wave of medical advancements, stronger and more equitable healthcare systems, and healthier lifestyles. As a result, millions of humans are afforded longer lives and more time with their loved ones.
We live our best lives when we actively choose the life we actually have, rather than yearning for some different, more “ideal” one.
So much of personal growth is working to make implicit memories explicit. We revisit past repressed traumas so they don’t act on us unconsciously anymore. But social change work is often the same.
So many of us who want to do good in the world come from a paradigm of excess positivity. We go, go, go. We keep saying “yes” even when we don’t have the time, energy, or genuine desire to do so. We make ourselves unwell trying to do good in the world.
The world achieves the universal phase-out of all F-gases, potent climate pollutants. This monumental effort, driven by the Montreal Protocol, averts up to 0.5°C of warming, creates a cleaner, safer, and economically beneficial global infrastructure, and confirms humanity’s ability to solve major environmental challenges.
Though much of the global population had already transitioned to electric vehicles, all the world’s governments now formally ban manufacturers from selling cars that run on fossil fuels, creating a historic milestone in the fight against climate change.
