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The last 5 days have been nerve racking for many who waited in anticipation for the results of the turbulent United States election on November 3rd.

November 4th was sad and heartbreaking as the Trump Administration officially finalized the withdrawal of the United States from the international Paris Agreement on climate change the day after the presidential election. As the world’s second-largest carbon polluter after China, President Trump delivered another ‘America First’ promise and became the first country to leave the 189-nation landmark agreement which he often mischaracterized and called a one-sided massive wealth transfer from America to other nations.

And on Saturday, November 7th, we breathed a sigh of relief as Joe Biden is officially declared the 46th President of the USA, offering fresh promise and renewed hope for democracy and progress, for science, for threatened ecosystems, for empathy and inclusion over racism and violence.

President-elect Joe Biden addressed a deeply divided nation on Saturday night. In the spirit of compromise, his victory speech asked supporters of President Donald Trump to give him a chance and made a plea for unity and understanding. He called on all Americans to turn the page, “Let this grim era of demonisation in America begin to end – here and now. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric. To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again.”

It will be surreal and humiliating to the end for the present occupant of the White House who refuses to concede, doing so, after all, would require acknowledging his failure. Instead, he announced on Twitter that he had won the election and blustered at how it was stolen from him, a game he also played in the last election cycle when he did not expect to win. This election has made it clear that majority of voters in enough key states of the USA simply had enough of Trump and his bullying histrionics.

Instead, he announced on Twitter that he had won the election and blustered at how it was stolen from him, a game he played in the last election cycle too when he did not expect to win. This election has made it clear that the majority of voters in enough key states simply had enough of Trump and his bullying histrionics.

Grass-roots activism is on fire worldwide. People want good leaders that lead with maturity, integrity, accountability and transparency; who are climate and social justice champions; who are decent and deserving of our trust; and who will act in the interest of the people and can unite a divided world.

We want a more compassionate, inclusive, just and sustainable world where there is wellbeing for every person, every community and the whole ecosystem, and an equal opportunity to live a good life.

It must be NOW!