America’s tumultuous political landscape, record-breaking temperatures, and devastating mass shootings made it a turbulent year for the nation, leading to what feels like a growing pessimistic outlook for the nation in years to come. As the year draws to a close, a little over a third of the nation will resolve to improve certain facets of their lives in hopes of starting fresh. But perhaps the same practice should be applied to our nation. Here are some (of the many) new year’s resolutions the United States could consider committing to for 2024: 

1) Elect a leader who can galvanize the country. Appointing a stable leader to support and represent the people of the nation is critical. As of right now, it looks like I’ll have to choose between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election, and having that be my first experience voting is something I’m starting to dread. The election of either candidate into office will only further divide the nation, especially when over the last few decades, the U.S. has only started to become more polarized. We need a leader who can galvanize the country, and stabilize the nation. Someone who can win by a landslide and resonate with the majority of the people and restore the hope that so many have started to lose in the nation. 

2) Tackle gun violence. Shootings have made headlines over and over in 2023. According to the Gun Violence Archive, as of Dec. 26, over 42,000 people have died due to gun-related events this year, with 650 mass shootings taking place in 2023 — second only to the record-breaking 690 mass shootings in 2021. Addressing gun violence is important. More than 1,600 children and teenagers under 17 years old died due to gun violence this year. Surely, our nation can resolve to protect its youth. To put things in perspective, owning a gun is easier than being a legal driver in the U.S.. Imposing strict restrictions on purchasing firearms, and passing laws that actually reduce gun violence can save tens of thousands of lives each year. 

3) Make healthcare free. Improving access to healthcare comes with first acknowledging the fact that the current system is inherently unequal: people from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to fall sick, and stay sick for prolonged durations of time as they may not have access to the necessary medical technology needed. Free healthcare can increase access to primary care, enabling more people to visit their doctors for preventive care, which can save lives by detecting health conditions early. When people of lower and middle class backgrounds stop going to doctors for health concerns, they lose access to preventive care, and end up using the emergency room as their primary care physician, increasing costs and risking more lives. Being able to afford healthcare shouldn’t be a privilege, it should be a basic standard of living for every individual. 

4) Address environmental issues. In order to address the growing climate crisis, acknowledging its existence is important. Contrary to what several others think, climate change is not a hoax. It’s a real issue with devastating impacts we are living through today. 2023 has shattered climate records across the globe, according to the United Nations. On a national level, July brought residents of Phoenix, Ariz. a 31-day heatwave with temperatures exceeding 43.3 degrees Celsius for over a month, and in Florida, the water reached 38 degrees Celsius. The U.S. is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide, an important and prevalent greenhouse gas, making air pollution one of the largest issues in the nation. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. is from burning fossil fuels for industry (23%), electricity (25%) and transportation (28%) as of 2021, which has only risen this year. The government should consider expanding the country’s public transportation system to limit the number of cars on the road and curb the large carbon dioxide emissions, promote and invest in ways to make green energy accessible, and work to protect and restore key ecosystems. 

Honorable mentions include curbing growing drug addictions, protecting human rights and granting women reproductive freedom. These are some of the larger internal issues I believe are tearing us apart, and things the nation can consider adding to its new year’s resolution for 2024.