What Year Is This? A Look at Our Societal and Environmental State in 2021

It’s hard to believe, but 2021 has already been underway for a few months. And while these months have been trying and tumultuous, they also have brought with them an ever-increasing awareness of our societal and environmental state. In reflecting on what year it is, it’s essential to consider both of these aspects and how we can strive to make a positive impact.

The Current State of Society

We are living in the midst of a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has sadly caused the death of more than two million people and impacted the health, safety, and well-being of thousands of more. Vaccines are slowly leading us to a brighter future, but there is still much uncertainty in the air.

At the same time, social issues have become a focus of our culture, and people are fighting for greater racial and gender equality than ever before. Social movements focused on anti-racism and the empowerment of marginalized groups have marked the last year, and many people are not content with simply protesting but instead demanding real, tangible change. Many people are pushing for more equitable legislation, more diverse representation in positions of power, and a cessation of dismissive behaviors from those in higher positions.

The Current State of the Environment

While we still have much to do to make society a more welcoming and equitable place for all, our impact on the environment cannot be ignored either. We are unarguably facing a climate crisis, and the so-called “Anthropocene” — the geological epoch characterized by the human destruction of the natural environment — is now the likely state of the Earth.

Since the beginnings of the industrial revolution, human activity has had an exponentially larger impact on the environment than nature ever has — releasing massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and destabilizing the planet’s delicate climate balance. This has lead to effects like rising temperatures, melting polar ice caps, disappearing shorelines, and increasing extreme weather events, to name just a few.

How We Move Forward

With all this in mind, it’s become clear that it is time to take serious action. We have no choice but to take the environment more seriously — we must transition to a more sustainable lifestyle both as individuals and as a society. This means turning to renewable energy sources, reducing our waste, and using our resources more efficiently.

At the same time, we must strive for greater equality and fairness for all people. This requires both a top-down approach — enacting laws and regulations to ensure everyone is treated fairly — and a bottom-up approach — each of us must stop participating in oppressive behaviors, take an active role in supporting those who have been marginalized, and uplift others as we continue along our paths.

So, what year is it? Although it might feel like 2021 has been longer than most, this is the year that we have been given to make meaningful changes in both our society and environment. This is the year we make the leap to help improve our collective future.