Ten (Realistic) Wishes for 2023!

The war is over, Ukraine is liberated, reconstruction is underway, Putin has been overthrown, Russia has repentantly returned to the circle of modern nations – no, it would be really naive to hope for such a thing. The reality, however, is that if one of the opponents of the war reaches its military limits, this may open the way to ceasefire negotiations. At the very least, this would put an end to the murderous bombardment.

Sorry, dear skiers, in times of energy crisis, green runs are exceptionally good news. The higher the temperature, the lower the energy consumption and the lower the risk of a power outage. After all, things are better today than they were in the fall: Europe’s gas storages are full, and Swiss reservoirs are reporting decent water levels.

Long-term care is more important than just getting through the winter. He needs a replacement for Russian gas and an incentive to use renewable energy sources. The new energy minister, Albert Rösti (55, senior vice president), has the opportunity to tackle these challenges without any ideology and to ensure that everyone comes together to ensure a reliable and climate-friendly energy supply.

American researchers recently reported the first major breakthrough in nuclear fusion: in a few decades it will be possible to produce massive amounts of electricity without nuclear risks or CO2 emissions. Humanity cannot stop climate change without it. Our future needs such technological advances!

The first mRNA-based cancer vaccines could be available in as little as three years, and such vaccines are already being used successfully against Covid-19. The suffering may be worth it: the pandemic helped this new technology break through. The dark years of Covid are over – and it’s happening faster than many feared.

Let’s hope the optimists among economists are right. According to their conclusions, Switzerland will not be covered by a pan-European recession, and inflation has peaked; real estate prices are stabilizing at a reasonable level, and many can still afford to own their own home.

On October 22, the Swiss will vote for the National Council and the Council of States. After two years of political divisions in the country – to the point of accusations of “dictatorship” – one hopes that all sides treat each other with respect.

While the U.S. presidential election won’t take place until 2024, the United States urgently needs more understanding of diverse opinions. Despite all the excitement (see point 7), Switzerland shows how lenient politics can be when people drink beer together again after a battle.

Within three years, 1.4 billion people remained almost completely cut off. It used to be a trading nation, a great place to travel and, conversely, the home of millions of tourists visiting the West. Let’s hope that the Chinese will soon be able to experience the world again as guests with us or through visitors in their own country. Corona isolation has only made China more dangerous.

The topic is not the most important, but for many the most emotional – from the gender asterisk to the question of who determines gender: Is each to their own taste or is biology better? The Swiss writer Kim de l’Horizon (30), who is not polemical and open to dialogue, the winner of a book award in Germany, inspires hope.

Happy New Year – welcome to 2023!