Whether it be returning to the moon, or the first woman president in Mexico, this year promises to be anything but boring. As the new year kicks off, it is important to take a glimpse into the future and what is to come. With this year promising to make landmark strides in the political, technological, and scientific spheres, let’s take a look into what the year 2024 has in store for us.
Political
Returning To The Polls
As nearly 50% of the world’s population gears up to head to the polls, it becomes clear that 2024 will be a landmark year for democracy. Over 60 countries will hold their elections in the coming months and this year will shape the geopolitical world for many years to come. As Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa, puts it in an interview with Politico, “We will know whether democracy lives or dies by the end of 2024.” Some of the most notable elections being held in 2024 are in the US, Mexico, and Taiwan.
United States, Nov. 14th
This year will likely see a rematch of incumbent President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump in a very contentious November showdown. Some believe this will make or break our democratic experiment. This political race will have widespread impacts, both at home and abroad coming at a time when hyper-polarization and fears of election meddling suffuse the air surrounding and threaten dangerous backlash.
Mexico, Jun. 2nd
Mexico recently announced their upcoming election for a new president. Both of its leading political parties will have women as frontrunners ensuring a historic first for the country. The future of Mexico indicates a woman is assured to take presidential office regardless of which party wins.
Taiwan, Jan. 13th
The Taiwanese government will hold a vital election this year that will set the tone for relations with Beijing. This election is important as growing aggression from the Chinese government harbors fears of China’s recapture of Taiwan. The results of this vote may possibly determine the future freedom of the Taiwanese people.
Unresolved Conflicts
The past few years have been rough in many ways, but some of the most shocking have been the conflicts in both Ukraine and Palestine. The geo-political scales have shifted greatly as elections are being held around the world. The effects will most likely play a major role in these ongoing wars. Aside from outside influences, these conflicts are sure to contribute to growing tensions between Western and non-Western countries. These conflicts are likely to continue the ongoing humanitarian crisis found in both nations. The world’s response to these conflicts will play a major role in international politics and will have wide-reaching effects regardless of the outcome. Fears of Taiwanese invasion from China will also continue to grow as the latter country begins gearing up for the recapture of Taiwan. This will only deepen the strain between Western and non-Western countries that may result in more widespread conflict.
The 15th Annual BRICS Summit
In 2006, Brazil, Russia, India, and China created an international, economic and political group that aims to establish healthy relations between emerging countries and to provide an alternative to Western voices. In 2010. South Africa joined the fray, and as of January 1st, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are now members as well. The summit will be held this year and will be the first with all 10 countries and is bound to shape the future geopolitical sphere in ways we cannot fathom yet. In tandem with these new additions comes Russia’s turn to lead the group in which it hopes to aid in “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security.” This is just an over-quaffed way of stating that the countries aim to work closely with each other and strengthen their political and economic ties. This comes on the heels of Russia’s fairly negative image of the Global stage, along with growing tensions between the West and Iran, that will most likely influence the narrative and campaign of this collective. The meeting is set to take place in Kazan, Russia in October of 2024, and will surely set the tone for relationships between Western and non-Western countries in the coming years.
Science and Technology
Solar Eclipse
Get ready to don those uncomfortable solar glasses again! While 2024 is set to host many spectacular events, this one seems to outpace most of them simply by its rarity. On April 8th parts of the US, Mexico, and Canada will get to see the first total solar eclipse since 2017. This event will be special because the next total solar eclipse after this one won’t be for another 20 years. Get ready to see a spectacular show and take a moment to check out NASA’s official total eclipse: when and where website.
Chang’e 6 Mission
China will gear up like no other country has done before, when the country lands on the dark side of the moon this year. Due to tidal locking, only one side of the moon is visible to humanity at all times, yet it seems that this icy landscape will be getting all the attention this year. The Chang’e 6 mission plans to collect lunar samples from the far side of the moon and bring it back for study. The science community will hold its breath as new research proposes the presence of ice in the moon’s shadowy craters. The mission also holds promise as the dark side of the moon can potentially bring new knowledge regarding our silver nightlight, and may even give insight into what exotic materials may be lurking on the previously unexplored portion of the moon.
Artemis II Mission –
After over a fifty-year hiatus, it looks like America is ready to take another trip to the moon! NASA plans humans’ newest trip to the stars in its Artemis II mission. The venture plans to take 4 astronauts on a crewed lunar flyby over the duration of 10 days. The mission will use NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and use an Orion spacecraft. Artemis II will possibly launch sometime in November and is considered a major advancement towards long-term trips aimed at our closest celestial body.
Chat-GPT 5
This year promises to be a big one in the tech realm, and it is all due to AI. As the race to advance this technology continues, there is one landmark step towards true artificial intelligence that happens to come from the one and only; OpenAI. This year is shaping up to be the year that OpenAI will release the fifth iteration of Chat-GPT, which is believed to completely revolutionize the technological world. Aside from rumors that it will be able to understand audio and video inputs, it is believed that it will also blur the line between human and machine. The latest version will also likely feature a myriad of integration strategies that could potentially alter the way we conduct our everyday lives. This may range from managing household tasks to completely revitalizing the business world. It is safe to say that this advancement is bound to shake 2024’s status quo.
In 2024, a lot is bound to take place this year that will alter our lives in so many ways. With all these new advancements, it can be a bit frightening to see what our new year may look like. Yet, we should find hope for humanity. Major tech growth in both the aerospace and technological fields have the possibility to further both our knowledge and revolutionize fields such as healthcare, business, and security. The elections being held across more than half of all nations may just help ease geopolitical pressures and ensure stability on the international scale. Many of the world’s unresolved conflicts may be put to rest and freedom may be won once again.
The thing is, we do not know what the future truly holds for us. We can plan and toil, but at the end of the day, anyone’s guess is as good as anyone else’s. All we can truly do is hope that humanity will find its way, and that this year, 2024, will be all that it can be for humanity.
