Will 2021 be the year for renewable energy?

Dear Editor,
What a year this has been! We’ve made it to the end, but not without a lot of scars, pains, frustrations and pure exhaustion. “Intense” is the word I would give 2020. I’ve had the full pendulum: from exhaustion to high anxiety to great sadness to joy and rediscovery.
My sadness is deep for the state of the world, outside of the obvious pandemic. The division in our country is deep and wide. Despite the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government’s efforts to unite this nation and bring back some respectability to this great nation of ours, the APNU/AFC Opposition continues to break our hearts and disappoint us as a nation. I hope we find a way to disagree and still show respect for one another. Find out the actual situation or truth before jumping to conclusions. Remind ourselves to not judge, to show grace, to show empathy.
Looking back, 2020 will be a thick chapter in the history books. This year will be remembered for all kinds of catastrophes, from public health to economic devastation. It’s been a rough one, and I just want to acknowledge that. I also want to acknowledge the very real struggles so many are facing due to the events of the world, the pandemic, and the real struggles of simply living. The rest of 2020 and early 2021 would likely be defined by experiencing the disillusionment phase of disaster recovery as we navigate the current stresses related to a third wave of infection and higher rates of hospitalisation.
The risk of depression, hopelessness, and substance use historically are at their highest during this phase of any disaster, matching what we are seeing at this current time. This is leading to a corresponding need for behavioural health services. For many people, behavioural health outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic include symptoms of depression and anxiety, and are related to experiences of social isolation, significant changes in lifestyle and employment, fears of the unknowns around further restrictions and economic losses, and stress and pressure related to the balance of child care and work.
We expect behavioural health issues to worsen as COVID-19 cases increase, which could escalate medical risks for greater numbers of people. It’s meant to remind us all that if we’re struggling, there is good reason to be, and we are not alone. We all – no matter our background, beliefs, or positions on all the varied topics in our community and in our country – can likely at least agree that 2020 has been hard! Really hard! And there are very real mental health struggles that come with that.
If you are struggling, please do reach out for help. Our Government cares, the people of Guyana care, and you matter! But despite all the negative effects we have experienced, it may also be remembered that it was the turning point for clean energy, and the year that changed the world’s trajectory away from certain catastrophic climate change and towards a cleaner, greener energy landscape.
2020 was the year that showed us that oil is not, in fact, infallible, and that peak oil is, in fact, inevitable – and it’s right around the corner, if it’s not already happening as we speak. When the pandemic brought the global economy to a screeching halt earlier this year, oil prices dove to historic lows, not just shattering previous rock bottoms, but plunging way past zero. For many world leaders and energy and economics experts around the world, this crash had a significant silver lining. It provided a unique and necessary interruption to business as usual in which the powers that be could finally, at long last, take the necessary steps to phase out fossil fuels and reorient the planet away from certain climate death. The World Economic Forum advocated for a “new energy order “and a “great reset”. Many International agencies are all either drafting or implementing green stimulus plans.
It must be proud to say that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government has led the charge in this event. All this is to say that while many other economic sectors languished this year, battered by low demands, lockdowns, and supply chain woes, renewable energy companies around the world have had a very, very good year. In fact, a record year. “The numbers are eye-popping,”
And then, of course, there are electric vehicle companies. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely been unable to escape the news. 2020 may go down in history as the year that turned everything around for the energy industry and the environment, but 2021 probably isn’t going to be too shabby either. The United States has just passed its biggest energy bill in a decade, and it’s betting big on renewables. Renewable energy technology is advancing faster than ever, and the sector is on track to keep getting stronger and stronger.
Will 2021 be the year for renewable energy? I hope we all find some joy in 2021, as different as it may be! Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
David Adams