UNITED STATES: As the world awaits the next United States president, there are lots of implications not only to the American people but to the world at large. The United States is at a crossroad in determining who will lead the country amidst global challenges, and still maintain diplomatic relationships with countries and multilateral organizations. The “decade of action geared towards sustainable development is rapidly closing in as 2020 comes to an end. However, as Americans go to the polls today and elect their new president, the fate of the Sustainable Development Goals and multilateral cooperation hangs in the balance.

AFRICA:

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has condemned the killing of coal mine activist Fikile Ntshangase. She has been vocal against one of South Africa’s largest open coal mines in Kwa-Zulu Natal coastal province before her death. She was gunned down on October 22 in her home with her 11-year-old grandson. Ntshangase was vice-chairperson of a sub-committee of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organization which had consistently challenged the expansion of the mine. Human rights activists and other joint groups are persuading the government to investigate her killing and tighten legislation against unsustainable mining activities.

BIODIVERSITY:

Banks of the world have been accused by portfolio.earth of sponsoring biodiversity loss. According to the analysis, in 2020 alone banks have financed over $2.6 trillion in loans and other credit facilities that drives biodiversity destruction. Examples of such banks include; Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, HSBC, and Barclays. These banks went ahead to finance sectors previously identified by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Platform Services (IPBES) as primary drivers of the global extinction crises.

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Renewable energy predictions for 2021 are hinged towards tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft. The reason behind this is that majority of renewable energy procurements were financed by these corporations. Also, mid-sized companies like Salesforce, which is the largest purchaser of electricity, have thrown in their weight to influence the dynamics of the industry. Probable milestones that these corporations would strive to reach include; social justice, 100% renewable at all times, reduction of scope 3 emissions, storage, and the need for speed.

2020: The year 2020 has been eventful in the history of humanity. What lessons can be learned from this year as it draws to a close? Two major humanity crises faced in the course of the year are the COVID-19 pandemic and raging forest fires across the world. We would agree that the causative agent of both occurrences is our interaction with biodiversity. Therefore the need to tackle climate change and unsustainable use of natural resources is paramount.