Five Themes that Defined 2022

In 2022 on the CAPS blog, we chronicled a larger number of stories that ranged the gamut. We took a look at what we wrote, and narrowed down what we believe are five themes that defined this past year.

Of note, these are not ranked in order of importance and many of them include links to multiple blogs. Instead, these are summaries of many stories we wrote about that touched upon a general theme.

1. Earth Hits Eight Billion People

The global population hit a record eight billion people in the middle of this past November, and continues to rise.

At CAPS we wrote a blog in the leadup to the official announcement where we described the issues that accompany global overpopulation. We also wrote a follow-up blog once it was official where we described the issues surrounding sustainability and what a world with eight billion people will look like.

Our future will be defined by how we tackle global population growth and overpopulation. We need a plan for a sustainable future, because the problems associated with this phenomenon won’t go away by ignoring this issue.

2. Record Breaking Border Crisis

The crisis at our southern border hit a record level in 2022 and continues to rage on. At CAPS, we did monthly border number reports about encounters and gotaways.

By the end of fiscal year 2022 (9/30/22), we had hit 2.2 million border encounters. In the calendar year 2022, we had at least nine straight months with over 200,000 encounters (December’s numbers have not been updated yet).

Sadly, our political leaders have more or less ignored this issue as detention facilities fill up and border enforcement officers are pushed to their limit. This is no longer a border crisis, but a border catastrophe. The new year will be defined by this issue as more and more people keep arriving at the border.

3. The Battle Over Title 42

An important component of the border crisis in 2022 was the battle over Title 42. This Trump administration policy was introduced during the pandemic, and was seen as a key tool for border enforcement officers.

The policy was set to expire under the Biden administration, but received an extension this past May after a court ruling. On 12/21/22 though, the policy officially expired after another court ruling mandated it could not be extended again. Then at the last minute, the SCOTUS voted to retain the policy in a close 5-4 vote in late December.

While ultimately not a long term solution, Title 42 helped mitigate the effects of the border crisis and was a powerful tool for border enforcement officials. The policy is still up for review and we can only imagine it will receive more attention in 2023.

4. State Officials Turn Blind Eye as Overpopulation Affects Average Californian

Californians have had a lot of issues to deal with as a result of long-term population growth and mass immigration. In 2022, we wrote about how housing prices for starter homes in California have gone through the roof. We chronicled how wages have been depressed for the average worker through mass immigration. We also touched upon how we’re one of the leaders in homelessness for any state in the country.

Despite these issues, our state officials have prioritized expanding healthcare for illegal aliens, and providing them with a new ID card so that they can access state resources. As it became harder for the average Californian to scrape by, our state officials prioritized non-citizens over those they were elected to represent.

5. Climate Change Hits Home in CA

California had quite the year  with respect to climate change related weather phenomena. We had a record breaking heatwave that pushed power grids to their max, a drought that wreaked havoc for people and farmers, out-of-control wildfires that hindered climate goals, and even predictions of a biblical, mega-flood.

Climate change hit home, and hit home hard for Californians in 2022. It’s becoming impossible for our state officials to ignore these problems, and an ambitious if slightly flawed climate plan was laid this past December.

Per the usual, this plan did not mention overpopulation concerns when making their predictions and laying out proposed policies. As we’ve pointed out at CAPS, unless we solve our overpopulation crisis, even the best laid plans will go off the rails.