Stories that shaped 2022

The year 2022 was one of turmoil. From surging inflation and record-breaking heatwaves, to the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and the war in Ukraine.

Although much of the world has since dropped measures introduced to curb the spread of Covid-19, the year began with those same nations grappling with Omicron variant. 

Then, in February, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting a war that has displaced millions of people and sent further ripples of disruption around the globe. Russia cut gas flows to Europe by about 80 per cent, plunging nations into an energy crisis. Rising energy costs led to a surge in inflation — as high as 11.1 per cent in the UK — forcing some households to choose between eating or heating during the colder months.

The UK had a particularly tumultuous year, going through three prime ministers all while mourning the death of their longest-reigning monarch.

Across the Atlantic, the US Supreme Court revoked women’s constitutional right to abortion, leaving it to individual states to choose. Later in the year, a much-expected “Red Wave” failed to materialise as the Democrats won the Senate while the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives. 

In the Middle East, protests erupted in Iran after the death of a young woman who was arrested on charges of wearing her hijab “improperly”. Thousands of protesters rallied across the country and called for regime change, with the demonstrations triggering a government clampdown.

Technology companies were hit hard this year as profits shrank and stock prices fell. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and Twitter laid off a large number of employees. Cryptocurrencies crashed, with the price of Bitcoin dropping by 65 per cent.

The year 2022 was also one of the hottest on record for several nations. And while some were struggling with drought, Pakistan experienced its deadliest floods to date. Cop27 brought world leaders to Egypt to solve the climate crisis. Although they established a path to compensation for the most-affected countries, not enough was agreed on to prevent further global warming. 

Here, The National’s reporters look back at some of the most significant world events they covered this year.

Iranian's demand for change

Niloufar Goudarzi

On September 16, three days after being taken into the custody of Iran’s morality police on charges of wearing her hijab “improperly”, Mahsa Amini, 22, died in hospital. 

Police said she had a heart attack but others said she was beaten to death — an allegation denied by the government.

Her death sparked some of the biggest nationwide protests in Iran in years. Thousands took to the streets chanting “woman, life, freedom” and demanding an end to the mandatory wearing of the hijab. 

The government clampdown was swift and intense, with at least 18,000 protesters arrested and 475 killed so far, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

As of December, two men accused of participating in the protests had been executed, according to Amnesty International, with dozens more at risk of being handed the death sentence.

On the ground, the protests continued — the likes of which had not been seen since 2017 and 2019 — with many now calling for regime change.

Although there have been widescale protests in the past, Iranians say the latest feel different.

Led predominantly by young people, particularly women, the demonstrations have drawn people of all ages and ethnicities.

International support buoyed protesters as people abroad and foreign governments stood with them. The UN called for an end to Tehran's execution of protesters and removed Iran from a UN body that promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Although Ms Amini’s death was the catalyst, unrest had been brewing in the country for years.

The election of Ebrahim Raisi in 2021 resulted in the end of a more moderate presidency. The regime’s actions since then have only increased its isolation from the international community and exacerbated an internal struggle for legitimacy.

After the government threw its support behind Russia in the invasion of Ukraine and sped up its nuclear programme, western countries decided they would no longer provide the partial affinity the regime enjoyed during the days of reformist governments. 

The regime's attempt to substitute relations with other countries — such as China — proved futile after Beijing backed the UAE in the dispute over the Abu Musa and Tunbs islands.

All these factors, including sanctions against Iran, have had a detrimental impact on the country — particularly its economy. 

Internally, the strategy of intimidation, suppression and inflexibility in the face of any kind of demands from the people has led to more — albeit smaller — protests around the country that are harder to suppress.

At present, any kind of trigger brings more people to the streets. Protesters are also becoming more intelligent situationally, less reactive and emotional.

Union protests and strikes are coming together despite the government's attempt to atomise the movements and remove any kind of leadership.

Iranians on the ground feel that the cracks in the regime are beginning to show and they believe the government in Tehran may not be able to cope with the consequences of its actions in the long run.

Britain's three prime ministers

Thomas Harding

When Boris Johnson, prime minister at the time, switched on the Christmas tree lights outside Downing Street last year, he asked the gathered children a question with a seemingly straightforward answer.

“Do you think this Christmas will be considerably better than last Christmas?”

“Yes!” the excited voices answered.

Britain was nervously watching the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, unsure if vaccinations would work but knowing that 2021 had been another slog through lockdowns and job uncertainty.

But the man outside Number 10 had no such misgivings about his own post — with an 80-seat majority in parliament, a reasonable showing in the polls and having seemingly brushed off allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in the building behind him.

The signs, for him, suggested that 2022 would a year of recovery and rejoicing.

However, it has been one of the most grimly momentous years in British and European politics.

Calculated or otherwise, Mr Johnson seized the opportunity to show statesmanlike leadership when he supported Kyiv with weapons and money after Russia invaded.

As Ukraine fought for its right to exist, the Partygate scandals appeared to dissipate, replaced by a furore over the increase in national insurance contributions by 1 per cent and a £15 billion ($18.1 billion) package to help poorer people.

But Russia’s failures meant the focus turned back on Mr Johnson, with the many slights from MPs in his own party resurfacing.

The prime minister became the first in office to be given a fixed penalty fine for breaking lockdown rules — as was his Chancellor at the time, Rishi Sunak.

The much-awaited Sue Gray report on "Partygate" raised troubling questions on the abnegation of leadership at the top of government.

As the political temperature rose, Mr Johnson went on an eight-day foreign summit dash to Germany, Rwanda and Spain, hoping the international stage would provide respite and time to forget.

Alas, he arrived home to the brewing scandal of his deputy-chief whip Chris Pincher’s groping allegations.

His obfuscation tricks finally ran their course after Mr Johnson claimed he had not been warned about Mr Pincher’s previous complaints, only for a retired senior civil servant to very publicly contradict him with irrefutable evidence.

Ministers bolted from his cabinet quicker than horses from a blazing stable. Holed up in the house upon which he had brought so much disrepute, Mr Johnson finally resigned in July.

A scorching summer of endless leadership debates ensued.

The winner, Liz Truss, travelled to Balmoral Castle to formally take power only for Queen Elizabeth II to die two days later.

World leaders descended on London, forcing a political hiatus. The queen was buried and Ms Truss unearthed her baffling policy of unfunded tax cuts to stimulate growth.

The markets disagreed, the pound crashed, as did many mortgages, and she was out of office within 50 days.

Rishi Sunak became the first British-Asian Prime Minister, and his main focus was repairing the damage caused by the last two incumbents.

Stability of sorts arrived, bar the possibility of a general strike by public sector workers on top of a cold snap that could well test Britain’s energy resources.

Boris Johnson’s promise of Christmas cheer in 2022 has suffered the same fate as most of his pledges. Yet there is some optimism that his cherished Brexit may be heading to sensible conclusion.

A more balanced relationship between Mr Sunak and Europe’s leaders could at last deliver an agreement in 2023 that resolves much of the distrust and lost trading opportunities.

Record heat raises concerns

Daniel Bardsley

For some countries, 2022 was the hottest year on record. Despite the record temperatures and mounting evidence that the climate is warming, many believe not enough is being done to prevent further irreversible damage.

By the middle of the year, China experienced its most severe heatwave on record, with hundreds of places recording temperatures above 40°C.

Sichuan province, in the centre of the country, recorded temperatures of 45°C, the highest in China outside the western province of Xinjiang, while the Yangtze river's water levels hit record lows.

Many other nations also experienced record highs, among them the UK, where the mercury rose above 40°C for the first time, while Europe as a whole had its hottest summer on record.

Bahrain had its warmest November on record, according to figures published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US, as had New Zealand.

There have also been instances of unusually low temperatures in 2022. In the first 11 months of this year, the land and ocean surface globally was 0.86°C warmer than the average for the 20th century, making it the sixth-warmest year on record.

As the temperature charts continue to point upwards, many analysts say the world is failing to take the action needed if temperatures are not to exceed 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels — a key aim of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Cop27, held in Egypt in November, was significant in that an agreement was reached on loss and damage, the issue of how wealthier nations, which are often held to be primarily responsible for climate change, will compensate poorer countries suffering some of the most severe effects.

However, some felt that the conference made little progress on climate change mitigation, the term for efforts such as cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, to prevent temperatures from rising.

At the end of Cop27, Alok Sharma, the British minister who chaired Cop26 — which was held in Glasgow, Scotland, the previous year — highlighted that a pledge for emissions to peak before 2025 and "a clear commitment to phase out all fossil fuels" were absent from the final text.

Now, attention is turning to Cop28, which will be held in the UAE at the end of 2023. Climate advocates have said they are hoping for strengthened global commitments.