2020: Light in the darkness - 4th January 2021

2020 was a year that many of us will want to forget. Dominated by the coronavirus, the knock-on effect of this pandemic piled additional layers of complexity onto environmental disasters, both human induced and triggered by our changing climate. We saw people across the globe adapt their way of life and turn to new technologies in response to the Covid-19 restrictions and climate change. Efforts were made to ensure the protection of our planet's precious flora and fauna and throughout the year, there were plenty of stories of human kindness and generosity in the face of extraordinary adversity.

In May, we saw how the pandemic was worsening natural disasters when Covid-19 restrictions hindered evacuation efforts in the Bay of Bengal during the devastating Cyclone Amphan. Other environmental catastrophes of the year lay squarely at human feet, with two sights of natural beauty threatened by oil spills. A fuel tank collapse in Siberia stained the Arctic Circle while thousands of miles away off the coast of Mauritius, a Japanese-operated capesize cargo ship ran aground, pouring thousands of tonnes of oil into the ocean. The slick threatened the island nation's pristine coral reefs, which, like other reefs around the world, are at risk from the climate crisis. However, in Australia, there was some good news for marine life, as marine geologists on a livestream excited viewers when they stumbled upon a previously undiscovered, 500 metre high coral obelisk just off the Great Barrier Reef.

Responses to climate change included lawmakers in Australia legislating on land use too, putting in place measures to protect one of their national animals, the koala bear, after their habitat was devastated by forest fires. However, this sparked a heated debate within Victoria's coalition government, leading to an outbreak of what has been dubbed "a koala war".

Unusual animals unexpectedly ended up on the plates of some Europeans. Across the continent, it was discovered that shark meat was being illegally marketed under the guise of the more expensive tuna. Meanwhile, some Norwegians prevented from travelling abroad due to coronavirus restrictions rediscovered their appetite for another unusual delicacy: whale meat. 'Whales' of a different kind ended up saving a train driver's life in the Netherlands, when a train ploughed through the buffers but was lodged atop a public statue of two whale tails.

The animal kingdom has collided with technology in Massachusetts, where scientists developed the world's first living robots: programmable organisms crafted using cells from African frogs. More traditional metal and plastic robots invented by Google's parent company Alphabet began aiding farmers across the world by delivering data on every single plant in a field of crops.

Farmers in South East Asia hampered by the pandemic also turned to technology, setting up websites for the first time in order to reach consumers.

In addition to these groundbreaking examples of human innovation , 2020 also saw some personal dreams realised. Billionaire Chuck Feeney completed his unusual quest to divest himself of his entire estate prior to his death. While this extreme generosity is beyond most of us, one person who might understand Feeney's motivations is teacher Ranjitsinh Disale, who gifted 10 other finalists half of his $1 million winnings after being awarded this year's Global Teacher Prize.

With these and many more such acts of human kindness shining through the darkness of an unprecedented year, it offers hope that out of this global tragedy we can build a better world in 2021.