2023 things are looking up - 29th December 2023

Things were improving in the second half of 2023, as people came up with creative strategies to address issues globally.

Denmark created a new patrol unit which can be found online playing video games. This is a new strategy to help create a safe online environment and fight cybercrime.

Sisse Birkebaek: "When we tell them about what our main target is, is just to be present and try to, to make it a safer place in the internet, especially for, for youngsters, then they are actually quite happy about it, especially the parents."

In Australia, sports women were on top of their game in the 2023 Women's Football World Cup, where first time champions Spain beat England. Stadium Australia in Sydney was packed with 76,000 fans who witnessed the moment Spain scored their winning goal against England.

Jolie Hill: "The fact that like 50-60 years ago, we weren't even allowed to play football in this country, and now we're here in the final of the Women's World Cup... I'm so proud of them. Like, genuinely, it, it does bring a tear to my eye."

India's space programme has successfully landed a spaceship on the moon’s south pole. The world's biggest population became the fourth to make a moon landing and the first on the moon’s south pole – a major win for space research.

P Veeramuthuvel: "The entire mission operations, right from launch till landing, happened flawlessly as per the timeline. And, we became the fourth country to land, to demonstrate the soft landing onto the moon's surface and we became the first country to go to the near to the south pole of the moon."

Meanwhile in New York, science is making music more accessible and inclusive. Members of the deaf community enjoyed a live concert by wearing a device developed by Music: Not Impossible, which can be worn on the skin.

The device was designed for the deaf community. However, everyone wants to share in the experience.

Flavia Naslausky: "As you know already, this was designed with and inspired by the deaf community. And along this journey, though, we realised that everybody wants to use it. This is about shared connections, shared experiences, bringing people together that otherwise wouldn't be together."

Making a similar move in the gaming world, a new Playstation controller has come onto the gaming market. Sony introduced the device, which helps players who have disabilities. Now, people in the gaming industry are realising how necessary it is to include everyone.

Melanie Eilert: "I can only play with my right hand. So the number of inputs I can do is limited.

Interviewer: And so how does this change your whole gaming experience?

Melanie Eilert: “So, with the external buttons I can attach, the number of buttons I can use increases."

Although we’ve accomplished a lot worldwide, the Earth keeps on reminding us of the threat of climate change. At the end of the year, governments from around the world gathered in Dubai to discuss the climate crisis and ways to lessen its impact. Once again, the focus shifted to the Arctic and the effects of climate change on the Inuit community.

Erling Rasmussen: "But it's melting so maybe in a few years it's gone. It can be a problem. So I think in the future the city will have to get its drinking water from the ocean."