As 2020 draws to a close, it's hard to know whether the harsh experience of the COVID-19 pandemic will act as a catalyst for a greener, climate-safe future or send us scuttling back to the old fossil-fuelled normal.

For now, the signs point in different directions, depending where you look. On the one hand, the latest index from UK-based researchers shows that only seven of 25 major economies have COVID-19 stimulus packages that are net-positive for the climate and nature.

On the other, a few forward-thinking cities like Oslo with a green planning vision are working to slash emissions from construction sites by using electrical equipment, reports Alister Doyle.

Yet planet-warming emissions from buildings overall are on the rise, as demand for power for heating, lighting, cooling and cooking grows, threatening the Paris accord goals to limit global warming, a U.N.-backed coalition warned.

One thing is for sure - even though the pandemic has forced young climate protestors off the streets, they haven't stayed quiet, instead moving actions online and holding their own climate conference that produced a list of demands.

They'll be pressing their governments to act on those proposals in 2021, they said, launching a report calling for more green jobs, among other priorities.

"We need young people to make the regulations, the laws, and be there when decisions are taken," said Swiss youth activist Marie-Claire Graf.

But if policy makers fail to meet the expectations of younger generations, the future does not look bright.

Environmental health guru Kristie Ebi told our editor Laurie Goering that health risks fuelled by climate change - including hunger and diseases worsened by pollution - will sharpen global inequities, hitting the poorest and children hard.

The impacts of warming could also push more than 60 million vulnerable people to migrate in search of a new home or work within South Asian countries, charity ActionAid said, releasing an updated projection for 2050.

As we know, there are no quick fixes for the emissions we continue to spew into the Earth's atmosphere, but some of the technologies that have been touted to help are taking a step closer to reality.

If you happen to spot an unidentified object in the sky above the Arctic town of Kiruna in Sweden next summer, it could be a Harvard-led balloon test for solar geoengineering.

As 2020 staggers to an end, it may not be clear if the climate action glass is half-full or half-empty, but for now, here's to a better 2021...

See you in the New Year!

Megan

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