A look back: 12 events that kept the world on edge in 2022

The year 2022 was disruptive in the truest sense and measures up to go down in history as an adrenaline-fueled thriller packed with explosive action, punctuated by shocking twists in the plot. It never got tired of surprising the world in good, bad, as well as ugly ways. 

Let's wrap it up.

The looming threat of World War III 

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine which changed the world's situation dramatically. In a pre-dawn televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war.

After Moscow launched the largest attack on a European nation since World War Two, it forced tens of thousands of people to abandon their homes. 

According to experts at a virtual symposium organised by the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is having a disproportionately large impact on the world's supply chain, obstructing the movement of goods, driving sharp price increases and product shortages, resulting in catastrophic food shortages worldwide.

An angry China

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made history by making the first official trip to Taiwan by a speaker of the House in 25 years with a strong message for China, stating that it is more crucial than ever for the US to support a democratic Taiwan.

China's anger over the visit to the island it claims as its own was shown through a flurry of military activity in the nearby waters.

Longest-ruling Queen of England passes away

Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled the United Kingdom for the longest time, passed away on September 8 in Scotland. The post-World War II recession, the change from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War, and the UK's accession into — and exit from — the European Union, all happened during Queen Elizabeth II's time as head of state.

'Women, Life, Freedom'

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Iran, was killed while being detained by morality police in Tehran for wearing "inappropriate dress."

During Amini's funeral, protests broke out. Many women chopped their hair and removed their headscarves while chanting "death to the tyrant". "Zan Zindagi Azadi" meaning "Women, Life, Freedom" became a global movement.

Celebrities and politicians from all over the world became a part of the struggle in which hundreds have died at the hand of the "morality police" in Iran.

Another pandemic?

Since early May 2022, 110 nations have reported cases of monkeypox or Mpox as it is now known. As of December 15, nearly 83,000 cases of Mpox were confirmed, according to WHO. The virus has been deemed a public health emergency of international concern even though the risk assessment by the health organisation rates it as moderate.

Outrageous climate protests

The world saw some of the most outrageous climate protests with activists throwing soup, paints and whatnot over costly paintings in museums and art galleries.

Climate change intensified in 2022 with many parts of the world suffering from the consequences of global warming. Some countries were horribly flooded while others faced heat waves like never before. Wildfires, tsunamis, and earthquakes are just some catastrophes that the planet wept over.

Sigh of relief as COVID eases

The first pandemic to affect the entire world in a century seems to be in remission for three years. The WHO's director-general stated in September that the pandemic's conclusion is "in sight."

Several nations lifted lockdowns, travel bans, and other similar restrictions that they had put in place when COVID swept the globe in early 2020. Thanks to the effectiveness of therapeutic treatments and vaccinations, the planet could finally take a sigh of relief.

China was the only country to buck this trend. Long after every other nation had given up on the idea, it continued to enforce a zero-tolerance policy. It is anticipated that COVID will cause close to a million deaths in China.

World population reaches 8 billion

According to the United Nations, India was the major contributor to the milestone when the world population reached 8 billion on November 15.

One billion individuals were added to the population during the course of 11 years, with population growth subsequently declining. The UN estimates that it may take 15 years for the population to reach nine billion, and it does not anticipate that it will reach 10 billion until the year 2080.

Twitter fiasco: Musk takes netizens on roller coaster ride

After a  long and dramatic legal battle, billionaire Elon Musk finally took over the social media platform Twitter. As the new boss and the sole director of the firm, Musk brought several changes to the site. These include thousands of employees either being laid off or resigning, reportedly making employees work 84 hours a week, and sleeping at the office to meet the targets. 

With a powerful site in his hands, the world is divided with some believing that the change is good and others thinking "the rich" have been given too much power to control speech.

Sri Lanka sees economic crisis like never before

The COVID-19 outbreak was a major contributor to the beginning of the Sri Lankan economic crisis. As inflation skyrocketed, fuel and cooking gas became more expensive and challenging to get. 

By the time nationwide protests started in April, conditions had gotten so bad that schools had been closed, staple foods were no longer affordable to the average person, and protracted power outages had become the norm. 

On July 9, protesters finally broke into the then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's house, forcing him to leave the nation before announcing his resignation.

'Groundbreaking milestone': UK's first leader of colour

Amid the climactic political turmoil in the country, Rishi Sunak became the United Kingdom's first-ever Indian-origin prime minister. This marked a historic change in the country and sent a strong message across the globe. He became Britain's youngest prime minister for more than 200 years and its first leader of colour.

After witnessing how a nation that was once regarded as a cornerstone of economic and political stability plummeted into ruthless internal strife, many politicians and officials from overseas hailed Sunak's selection.

In addition to officials from India and other countries, US President Joe Biden called it a "groundbreaking milestone".

Soft power: FIFA World Cup in Qatar

This year’s FIFA, the first-ever in a Muslim country, proved Qatar to be a major player on the international forum. The grand sporting event collected praise from visitors from all over the world.

Qatar proved to be extremely hospitable, safe and secure as it executed one of the most successful tournaments. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi basked in glory, making his way through a tough competition to finally lift the trophy.

In a first, Morrocans broke into the semi-finals. Though they could not go further, they were welcomed by their countrymen as winners.

The World Cup in Qatar led to a happy end of 2022 leaving people entertained and distracted from the disasters that the world witnessed.

Thumbnail and banner illustration. — Geo.tv/Ayesha Nabi