Visiting home for the holidays, fully jet lagged and unable to sleep, I couldn’t think of a better way to summarize 2025 than to ask ChatGPT to write a journalistic-looking article for me recapping the year.
The key? To add as many word as possible from a long list of so-called “woke” terms that U.S. President Donald J. Trump aimed to purge from U.S. federal government documents earlier this year.
Here is the result, with some human-made edits and links for context:
2025 will be remembered as a year of reckoning — a year when global warming, climate change, and the climate crisis collided with racial justice, gender identity, and geopolitical polarization, revealing persistent inequality, structural biases, and profound questions about who belongs in an increasingly divided world.
The year began with the inauguration of a new U.S. presidential administration that swiftly reversed federal policies related to accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and affirming care. Within weeks, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) paused enforcement of guidance recognizing gender identity, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) withdrew public health materials mentioning gender and DEI. President Trump signed Executive Order 14168, rescinding federal recognition of transgender people and rejecting protections for non-binary, transgender, and two-spirit individuals, mandating a return to biologically male/female designations assigned at birth and banning funding for gender-affirming care. These changes reshaped federal discussions of gender ideology, pronouns, and sexuality, fueling controversy and litigation across U.S. states.
Across the southern U.S., legal battles erupted over K-12 classroom content after state legislatures restricted discussions of racial diversity, critical race theory, structural inequities, gender diversity, and identity, effectively curtailing inclusive leadership and culturally responsive curricula. In Alabama, professors and students appealed a state law banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at public universities, arguing that bans on discussions of race, gender, and religion undermined academic freedom and elevated institutional discrimination.
Internationally, debates about human rights intersected with climate negotiations. At COP30 in Brazil, Canada and other nations reaffirmed commitments to inclusive, evidence-based climate action that addresses climate vulnerability and climate resilience for vulnerable populations, particularly women, Indigenous peoples, and persons from diverse backgrounds, advocating for comprehensive climate accountability and equitable climate finance.
Meanwhile, climate events inflicted devastating impacts. Canadian wildfires across provinces from Manitoba to British Columbia forced large-scale evacuation, threatened safe drinking water, and worsened air pollution and carbon emissions, highlighting the urgency of clean energy, clean power, and renewable infrastructure. In Morocco and Bolivia, fatal floods linked to rising temperatures and degraded ecosystems killed dozens, displacing thousands and underscoring global vulnerability to GHG emissions, pollution, and changing weather patterns.
The 51st G7 Summit, hosted in Kananaskis, Alberta, saw leaders confront deepening global divides — from war in Ukraine to migration pressures — and elevated commitments to energy transition, net-zero targets, and renewable solar energy, wind power, and bioenergy pathways. Canada’s leadership emphasized clean energy partnerships while advocating for accessible, equitable strategies that benefit marginalized communities.
Migration and humanitarian crises also defined the year. International migration flows surged as conflicts, climate impacts, and economic disparities forced immigrants, refugees, and migrant families to seek safety. Many high-income countries tightened border controls amid housing shortages and debates over affordable housing and low-income housing access, while international organizations flagged growing needs for water quality, sanitation, and inclusive support systems in underserved regions.
2025 also saw powerful youth-led activism in Morocco, where Gen Z protesters mobilized against economic inequality, declining public services, and limited opportunities, blending online activism with street demonstrations that drew global solidarity.
Amid these crises, advocacy for social justice, racial justice, and health equity intensified. Scholars documented systemic barriers and implicit bias in artificial intelligence and employment contexts, illuminating intersectional harms for disabled, female, women in leadership, people of colour, and other underrepresented groups. Academic research pointed to persistent gaps in gender diversity and inclusion across science and technology fields, challenging institutions to confront institutional stereotypes and foster inclusive participation.
As the year closed, debates about equal opportunity, equitable access to care, people-centered care, and cultural cultural competence remained central to global discourse. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals continued to guide collective action, emphasizing the importance of inclusive growth, clean water, education, and sustainable construction for communities worldwide.
2025 will be remembered not only for its crises but also for the resilience and mobilization of activists, organizers, and communities advocating for more just, sustainable, and inclusive societies.
In case you are wondering, Epstein did not make it onto the list.
Oriol Salvador 