Well it's the last day of the year, and what a year it has been. It felt like a decade passed in a year and March was just last month, all at the same time. Lockdown made this year feel like a time warp. I was much luckier here in Australia. I could live my life quite normally by September this year. But hard international borders meant I could not see my family, which continues to be challenging. I know I am not alone when I say that I can't wait to see the back of 2020. COVID-19 was pretty much at the center stage this year. It was on everyone's mind, all the time. It was overwhelming. Distress and despair was aplenty. Isolation and job uncertainty made mental health take a huge hit globally. Economies all over the world tumbled. It's not over yet, but vaccines are on the way. We are all hoping that 2021 will be kinder to us, and the worst is behind us.
As far as the environment is concerned, what a contrasting summer we're having here in Australia. La Niña brought an end to drought conditions in much of Australia. In Sydney, our dam levels were 45% just a year ago, and today we are at 97%. While the rain was certainly welcome, flooding events and cyclones also become more common during a La Niña event. It is yet to be seen what more this weather pattern will bring for Australia in the next few months.
What is evident is how erratic these events have become. Just a year ago our whole continent was ablaze and farmers were inundated by the devastating impacts of a crippling drought. A year later with all that's happened, it feels like a million years ago. The pandemic is the only thing occupying our minds. It is imperative that we don't put climate change resilience on the backburner and continue to build on our efforts towards better water security in the months and years to come. With population growth and more unpredictable weather, we will need all the preparation we can get.
2020 was not all bad. The Trump administration finally came to an end in 2020, with president elect Biden to take his place in January 2021. Trump's reign wrecked havoc in the last four years, with many environmental protections removed and big businesses doing what they want without much accountability for their actions. It will take some time for Biden to undo the damage done but the intent is there which is a great start! For starters the US will re-enter the Paris Climate Agreement which is an absolute win for the environmental community.
Biden's win has also had far reaching effects on global climate action. It has put pressure on countries like Australia where climate commitments have largely been lackluster, their belief in a coal fired economy strong. But the world's largest economy claiming clean energy is the way forward sets a precedent that the world needs right now. Here's hoping a cleaner and greener future lies ahead.
So that's a wrap on 2020. It was many things but uneventful was not one of them!
