A think tank suggested that the year 2021 wasn't as bad as 2020. The non-profit body of experts specializing in foreign policy celebrated its centenary in 2021. However, there was still plenty of bad news. Perhaps the worst was the failure to address the climate change challenge. The UN declared "a code red for humanity". Other top stories included coronavirus, mass migration, the supply chain crisis, and the Taliban returning to power.
The think tank said 2021 did bring some good news. It said: "For a moment in early summer, it seemed that COVID-19 was in the rearview mirror." Happier news included more than 9 billion covid-19 vaccinations being given. In addition, NASA successfully extracted a sample of Martian rock for the first time. In health news the WHO declared China free of malaria. In sustainability news, a passenger aircraft flew using 100 per cent sustainable fuel.