Review of 2022 (video 2)

2022 was one of the hottest years ever. Temperatures in the UK reached a record 40 degrees Celsius. Thousands of people in Portugal and France had to evacuate from their homes due to wildfires. Forest fires along the US Pacific coast were also bigger than ever before.

The Indian government acted to reduce plastic pollution, with a ban on some single-use plastics. These efforts boosted local production of eco-friendly alternatives for takeaway containers.

Rhea Mazumdar Singhal: 'We wanted to create a product that was safe for humanity to eat their food out of. By that I mean that it doesn't change the nutritional value of the food that you put in it. Secondly, it had to be safe for the environment. So it wasn't going to sit in a landfill and it's not going to outlive you forever.'

Life changed for women in Saudi Arabia as employment opportunities opened up to them. The government allowed women to enter traditionally male trades such as car mechanic. Its aim to transform the country's economy away from oil requires more women in the workforce.

Meanwhile, girls were getting around Taliban schooling restrictions in Afghanistan. They pretended to study at religious schools. However, these ‘madrasas’ were actually secret schools for girls.

Scientific advances also gave cause for hope. For decades, blood from horseshoe crabs has been used to check vaccines for bacteria. Now, researchers have developed an artificial substitute. This went through trials as vaccine demand continued to rise.

And nutritious peanut paste saved children in Kenya as millions faced starvation. The paste’s a ready to use therapeutic food. It’s packed with energy, protein and essential vitamins and requires no preparation.

James Jarso: "If we run out of this, more deaths would be recorded very soon actually, very soon. We lost a child, I saw. We actually referred four of them to Marsabit County referral hospital. One died! We lost him. Three of them survived. So, this one is life saving. Without this, more children will die."

Two iconic leaders died within two weeks of each other. Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev in August, followed by Queen Elizabeth II in September. The British monarch had celebrated her platinum jubilee earlier that year.

Many more deaths came when heavy monsoon rains flooded Pakistan and caused billions of dollars of damage and lost income. People were rescued from rooftops by boats and helicopters and millions required emergency aid. The devastation highlighted the growing impact countries are feeling from climate change.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "Floods in Pakistan, drought and famine in the Greater Horn of Africa, and more frequent and intense cyclones in the Pacific and Caribbean all point to the urgent need for action against the existential threat of climate change."

In the US, Hurricane Ian battered Florida and destroyed residents' homes. The effects of climate change are causing some to reconsider living there.

Irene Giordano: "We have nowhere to go. I mean we could, we've, well I mean, we have places to go. But I, I just, you know, my mom's here – I just don't know. Don't have really any desire, in, in some ways, I – it's hard to say. It just, it just, it's just hard to describe."

As extreme weather crossed the planet, world leaders headed to COP27 in Egypt to discuss climate change. Developing countries, which produce little CO2, are most seriously affected by extreme weather. They demanded loss and damage funds from countries which are big polluters.

Disha Ravi: "We are here today to ask world leaders to pay up for loss and damages in my country and other countries in the world that are on the frontline of the climate crisis, so we are here to ask today to show us the money."

Towards the end of 2022, Russian missiles targeted Ukraine's energy network during the winter freeze. With the authorities organising black outs to save power, Kyiv’s concert halls lit up with LED candles. Musicians put on concerts which brought people together for warmth, community and a moment of normality. Weniger anzeigen