When the year 2020 came to an end, the world had high expectations for 2021.
2020 was a year lost to COVID-19, with many people spending the majority of the year in
tedious lockdowns and in fear.
So 2021 had to be better, right?
The worst seemed to be behind us.
Vaccines were about to be delivered, economies were predicted to quickly recover, and a new
year was on the horizon.
But what happened instead was another lurching, stammering year.
The pandemic has now claimed more than five million lives worldwide and destroyed tens
of millions more through illness, financial hardship and grief.
Just when one COVID-19 strain seemed to be under control, a new variant emerged in 2021
– and we were suddenly all memorizing Greek letters, from alpha to omicron.
2021 saw a huge divide form between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
While poorer parts of the world are still waiting for access to vaccines – only 7.6
percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one jab – richer
nations have been confronted by a vocal minority that refuses to take them.
Governments had to take action.
Some didn’t give people a choice and introduced mandates, while others tried encouraging citizens
by restricting where the unvaccinated could go, barring them from restaurants or even
their workplaces.
Tougher restrictions triggered massive protests.
And while anti-vaxxers hit the streets in anger, the patience of those who have already
had their booster shots is starting to disappear, as mental health struggles and substance abuse
continue to rise amid ongoing lockdowns.
2021 also saw a number of geopolitical conflicts across the world.
Myanmar's military ousted the government in a coup that sparked huge protests nationwide
and resulted in a bloody crackdown.
In South Africa, following the imprisonment of ex-president Jacob Zuma for contempt of
court, there was an outbreak of unrest and looting.
The year-long conflict between rebels and government forces in the Tigray region of
northern Ethiopia intensified.
Lebanon was faced with one of the worst economic crises since the mid-19th century.
Shortages in fuel, medication and multiple power cuts prompted widespread anger.
Tension between the US and China remained unresolved this year, while Russia’s intentions
towards Ukraine raised concerns.
Unrest caused concerns within the US as well.
Images of the US Capitol being stormed and attacked by supporters of Donald Trump shocked
the world.
The assassination of Haiti’s president and a subsequent earthquake caused thousands of
Haitians to flee their country.
And it wasn’t just Haitians on the run.
A surge in migrants crossing the English Channel from France triggered a diplomatic row between
Paris and London.
When the internationally backed Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took control, many
Afghans fled what Amnesty International later called “repeated war crimes and relentless
bloodshed.”
Meanwhile, Belarus encouraged migrants to cross its territory to enter Latvia, Lithuania,
and Poland.
Critics called it a bid to pressure the EU to end sanctions it imposed after the rigged
2020 Belarussian presidential election.
All in all, the European Union saw a 70 percent increase in the number of people entering
the bloc illegally in 2021 compared to the previous year.
Some 84 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced from their homes.
Conflict, economic collapse, and climate change are likely to drive that number higher in
the coming years.
2021 was perceived as a make-or-break year for climate action.
The climate emergency became more palpable as fires, droughts, tornadoes and flooding
scarred more of the planet.
At the beginning of the year, Australia was overwhelmed by floods, which was later mirrored
in Germany, where flash flooding killed more than 200 people and caused billions of euros
in damage.
Meanwhile, heat records were topped across the world.
In Canada, the heat killed more than 230 people, while 36 tornadoes caused havoc across the
US.
What’s more, extreme wildfires were ablaze around the Mediterranean, in California, Siberia
and the Amazon Forest.
The IPCC published an extensive report based on more than 14,000 studies warning that climate
change is more advanced than previously assumed and is definitely caused by humans.
But there was also some positive news about the the climate in 2021.
China promised not to build any new coal power stations abroad.
And the climate conference in Scotland agreed on funding for poorer nations to green their
economies and adapt to the effects of global warming.
2021 also saw two unprecedented court cases in Europe that could have a long-lasting impact.
Germany's Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the freedoms and fundamental rights of
young people have been violated by insufficient climate protection from the state.
And in the Netherlands, a court ordered gas company Shell to reduce its worldwide CO2
emissions by 45% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels.
Experts believe this will result in a chain reaction and trigger companies and countries
to take action before they are dragged before court.
So in 2021, we were faced with one crisis after the next.
We had to grapple with the reality of the impact of COVID-19, climate change and conflicts
across the world.
But we also learned that we are more resilient than we might think, that humanity can rise
above, and that together we can be better.