Okay, that wasn’t the best year. Thank fuck it’s over. But even in a year like that, there were some rays of light, and some positive steps to build on.
Covid-19
The scientific response to Covid-19 has been swift and efficient. There are vaccines. There is a real prospect that we can meet people we have missed, some time later this year.
The research and development has been impressive, but also the fact that many people volunteered for vaccine trials is encouraging. Each of those volunteers stepped up for the greater good.
We have given thought, as well as appreciation, to the work of nurses, doctors and other medical staff. It isn’t only the Covid response; it’s also the extent to which medical services have tried to treat people with other conditions, on top of the work devoted to the pandemic.
There has been a greater realisation of the real, fundamental importance of work that, mostly, people haven’t thought much about – farm workers, delivery drivers, warehouse workers, and many others.
While online working, studying and socialising have clear limitations, we have been forced to explore their possibilities. What we have learned in doing so will serve us in the future. Also, some of us realised that we didn’t hate the office, or our colleagues, as much as we thought…
US Elections
A record number of people turned out to vote in the US elections, despite the pandemic (and despite gerrymandering and voter suppression).
US courts, and local and state officials, rightly resisted Trump’s attacks on the democratic process.
And HE LOST. It wasn’t a foregone conclusion. It was closer than it should have been. But he lost.
Politically, I am a good distance to the left of Biden and Harris (hilarious to see them attacked for being Socialists) – but a female VP of black and South Asian origin is good to see.
Similarly, there were more Native Americans in Congress than ever before (okay, five, but still); more trans people; and more women.
LGBT+
In Northern Ireland, marriages of same-sex couples became legally recognised on 13 January 2020, with couples free to register their intent to marry and couples who had previously married elsewhere having their unions recognised from that date.
Costa Rica and Taiwan also legalised gay marriage in 2020.
In June, the US Supreme Court – despite its Republican majority – voted to protect LGBT+ Americans from discrimination in employment (rights had been different in different states). There are still exceptions (e.g. for religious institutions), but it’s a good step.
Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil partnerships in October and stated that homosexual people have the right to be in a family. Making the statement in the feature-length documentary Francesco, he said, ‘Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered’. In a separate statement, he also said that God loves LGBT+ childen ‘the way they are’.
In December, more than 370 religious leaders signed a declaration calling for a global ban on conversion therapies. The declaration, put out by the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives, also called for an end to violence against, and the criminalization of, LGBT+ people.
Race
The horrifying murder of George Floyd, caught on video, led to huge protests, some reflection, and – perhaps – the beginning of reform. The officer involved was charged with second degree murder – not quickly, but it happened – after the video circulated online. Following pressure from protesters, three other officers were charged in connection with Mr Floyd’s death.
The Wall of Moms: in protest for Black Lives Matter, a group of moms in Portland, Oregon, created a barricade between protestors and federal agents by linking arms with each other and chanting. The Wall of Moms have now become a national protest against police brutality, racism, and the unnecessary deployment of federal agents against protestors.
Victor Glover became the first black astronaut to live at the International Space Station.
Crayola launched a box of crayons with diverse skin colours. (It sounds silly. But it matters.)
Environment
The cost of renewable energy fell more quickly than had been predicted, so dependence on fossil fuels can end sooner than we thought (if we want it to).
The International Energy Agency (IEA) found 2020 saw a sharp decline in the demand for fossil fuels, and predicted that in just five years renewable energy will have overtaken coal as the world’s largest source of electricity. It forecast that 90% of expansion in power capacity globally in 2021 will be led by wind, hydropower and solar energy.
Global greenhouse gas emissions fell by 7% from 2019, the largest decline on record, according to new research from the University of East Anglia, the University of Exeter and the Global Carbon Project. It isn’t enough, and it’s partly because of Covid, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Justice
Harvey Weinstein went to prison in February on a 23 year sentence. He was only convicted on two out of five counts, but he will be 80 when he gets out; and there are other charges still pending.
Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in July for sex trafficking; she was denied bail and remains in detention pending a trial due in July 2021.
In August, Steve Bannon was arrested and charged with fraud – basically stealing donations to his We Build The Wall campaign. He is due to stand trial in May 2021.
In June, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) must remain in place, keeping nearly 650,000 undocumented young people safe from deportation. The majority opinion called Trump’s decision to end the program an “arbitrary” and “capricious” violation of the law.
Social Media
In November, Steve Bannon’s Twitter account was permanently suspended after he suggested that Anthony Fauci should be beheaded.
Other brilliant permanent suspensions include weirdo conspiracy theorist and son of God David Icke, KKK evildoer David Duke, ex-funnyman and frothing transphobe Graham Linehan, and professional troll Katie Hopkins.
Women’s rights
In November, Scotland passed a bill to make period products such as tampons and pads free to all who need them.
Massive protests in Poland meant that proposals to further restrict abortion rights – already some of the most restricted in Europe – were put on hold.
Abortion in Argentina was legalized up to fourteen weeks of pregnancy on 30 December 2020.
Science
After four years without a case, Africa was declared free from wild polio by the World Health Organisation. Polio is most common in children under five and can cause paralysis. There are now just two countries that are still seeing natural transmission of the disease: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
There’s water on the moon.
There might be microbial life on Mars.
NASA landed a spacecraft on an asteroid.
Arts
Parasite won Oscars for Best Picture (the first film not in English to do so), Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Significant not only because the Academy looked beyond Anglo-centric cinema, but also because they actually gave awards to a good movie.
Billie Eilish swept the Grammys – she’s young, she’s interesting, and she seems to be making the music she wants. Plus, again, the Grammys not only looked beyond their comfort zone but actually gave awards to someone good.
Galleries, unable to open, offered virtual access.
TV came into its own. The Boys. The Mandalorian. Devs. BoJack Horseman. Tiger King. Lovecraft Country. The Queen’s Gambit. Once Upon a Time in Iraq. I May Destroy You.
Other stuff
Second World War veteran Captain Sir Tom Moore raised more than £32 million for NHS charities, walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday during the first national lockdown in April. A campaign led by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford forced a government u-turn over its free school meal policy. Neither should have necessary. But the huge public support for both efforts shows that the British public remains more compassionate than the government they elected.
Dominic Cummings has crawled back under his rock.
Oh, and murder hornets didn’t happen.