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2024
is set to be a record-breaking year for democracy. Around half
the world’s population will vote in an election over the next
12 months. Ballot boxes will be rolled out in the US, where I
am in the UK and across the European Union for the European
Parliament vote in June, to name just a few.
From
one perspective, the prospect of millions of people expressing
their fundamental rights at the same time is thrilling. From
another, it is deeply anxiety inducing. Our political
identities are evolving in ways that we don’t yet fully
understand. One of the most confusing of these evolutions is
the blurring line between libertarianism and authoritarianism
— this discombobulating sense that people are voting for
autocratic leaders and calling it freedom. That matters in the
US and European Parliament elections, where extremist
politicians who gleefully talk of rolling back our democratic
norms are standing for office and enjoying a popularity that
many find difficult to understand.
Political
psychologist Barry Richards seeks to pin down this paradox in
a fascinating article to start this bumper election year. For
him, the pandemic offers evidence of how we got here and how
what he terms “the
fragility of the modern self” leaves us
vulnerable to voting away our own right to vote.
If
you’ve decided to go plant-based in 2024 and need inspiration
to stick to your goals, have a look at this new
study showing the significant contribution you’d
be making to air quality. Our food systems are responsible for
a third of our global greenhouse gas emissions, so by cutting
back on animal products, you’d be making a big difference.
Others
are exploring how agricultural processes themselves could be
made more planet friendly, including
wine. It’s possible that if we grew our grapes
like the Romans did — by trailing their vines into trees
instead of lining them up in rows, we might end up with more
productive and environmentally sustainable vineyards.
And
if neither of these ideas motivate you to go a bit greener in
2024, consider that without a healthier planet, you may have
to kiss goodbye to your winter ski holidays — because skiing
will no longer exist. | 
