What’s wrong with 2020?

It seems like 2020 is a difficult year for everyone around the world. Humanity has, collectively, endured the hardships worth 5 years in the first 5 months of this year that seemed to be cursed from the very first month.

Are we over with the bad things this year has to offer or do we have to endure more hardships this year? We start with a list of things that have gone wrong so far in 2020.

1) AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE

In Jan 2020 the fire spread to a much larger part of Australia impacting the air quality and disrupting normal life. As much as 15.6 million acres had burned. The fires had killed around 25 people and destroyed more than 2000 homes. It is also estimated that over 1 billion animals have died since the fires began.

2) Delhi riots

The Feb 2020 Delhi riots saw several waves of violence, property destruction, and rioting that killed 53 people in North Delhi. The fight was between pro- and anti-CAA supporters. These riots made Delhi metro and school close for some time. The impact of these communal clashes could be felt across the country.

3) COVID19 the Pandemic

The World Health Organization was officially informed on 7 January of the novel coronavirus, then referred to as 2019-nCOV, and on January 11, China confirmed its first death. on March 12th WHO announces COVID19 as a pandemic.

4) The eruption of Taal Volcano

On January 12, 2020, in Batangas, Philippines Taal Volcano erupted killing 39 people with its ash spewed 14 kilometers into the air, coating villages in a blanket of dust and affecting nearly 460,000 people, many of whom lost access to electricity and freshwater. The volcanic eruption seems to be the first among the many natural calamities that the world has to face in 2020.

5) Floods and Hurricane

Super cyclone by the name of ‘Amphan’ hits India and Bangladesh. The cyclone is one of the most powerful storms to hit south Asia. Amphan destroyed thousands of homes and caused severe flooding. The Indian state of West Bengal was affected killing more than 85 in which 15 of them in Kolkata. 

Due to the overnight rain in Indonesia, the Ciliwung and Cisadane rivers overflowed leading many people homeless and taken around 73 people’s life with over 60 people missing.

6) The locust raid

One bug could hardly cause a scratch to a forest or field. But a spawn or raid of locust can wipe out a field converting it to a desert. Due to a decrease in human activity, the locust raid seemed to spread to further parts of the world and in a larger number. The impact of these small insects can be significant on the global economy already crumbling under the pressure of Covid-19.

7) Gas Leak- Vishakhapatnam

On  7 May 2020, 8.3 tonnes of chemicals vapourised from LG Polymers mill in Vishakhapatnam at 3 am affecting nearby villages with 7 people losing their lives and over 800 people hospitalized, with countless animals and plants affected. The favorable winds and quick planning and evacuation of the ministry led to a decrease in the effect of the gas leak tragedy.

These are some of the major incidents that took place in the world and seeing the ongoing political, economical and social issues the possible future could be the following

1) Covid-19 Mutation

With the fight against time, various labs around the world are in a race to find a vaccine against COVID. However, with different Covid strains in different countries, we have already seen that the coronavirus has mutating capabilities and if it keeps mutating further then it might make it more and more difficult to find a cure or more importantly a vaccine.

2) Heightened Indo-China conflict

China is desperate to deflect the attention of its citizens as well as the international community from its failure to contain Coronavirus from spreading to other countries. Creating conflict with India over territorial claims seems to be China’s strategy to divert attention. While it all seems like a political tactic, in the current scenario where citizens of both countries are emotionally charged, it is possible that the political leaders might lose their control over the situation if the conflict is prolonged and intensified further.

Other than international implications, the conflict will compromise the ability of Asia’s 2 biggest economies to recover from Covid-19 impact.

3) Increase in Natural Calamities

With various Cyclones like Amphan, there is a possibility of other cyclones like Nisarg and other super cyclones can cause a lot of property damage and take countless lives. With other active volcanoes who are due to erupt there are possibilities of many volcanic eruptions contributing majorly to global warming and affect the property, life, and nature. other calamities like floods, earthquakes can be expected to take its toll accordingly.

4) Insect invasions due to climate change and lack of human activity

It seems that the locust swarms aren’t the only thing to worry about when it comes to the insect world attacking humans. There are rising cases of insect attacks due to change in climate and the lack of human activity.

Blood-sucking Ticks in Russia

Russia, which is already one of the countries most impacted by Covid-19, is now facing a new threat: blood-sucking ticks including a new ‘mutant’ variety. The ticks latch on to humans from both long and short grass before finding a place to bite their victims, from which they suck blood. 

The region’s Epidemiology and Hygiene Centre reported that almost 2% of patients were found to carry tick-borne viral encephalitis, which can lead to permanent brain damage, with a third capable of passing on tick-borne borreliosis or Lyme disease, attacking the joints, heart, and nervous system.

Murder Hornets in the USA

The United States too has a new problem to deal with: Murder hornets. The invasive and predatory insect has turned up in Washington state near the Canadian border, where they could potentially pose a threat to humans and the beekeeping industry. The stinging Vespa Mandarinia can grow as large as 2.5 inches in length and is native to Southeast Asia, China and Taiwan. While the hornets usually don’t attack people or pets, they can do so if threatened. Scientists in the US are now hunting for the hornets, in a bid to eradicate the species before they wipe out the bee population in the country.

5) Economic war and fight for superpower

With the intensifying US-China trade war and every evolving effects of Covid-19 induced lockdown causing slowed economic activity, the world is already staring at one of the worst recessions of all times. With most countries, busy fighting Covid-19 and other issues like black lives matter campaign in the USA, Indo-china conflict, Hongkong protests, ebola outbreak in Africa, civil unrest in Lebanon, and so forth, the recession will keep getting worse if the world leaders are not able to revive their respective economies over the next few months.

The power struggle between the US and China might as well result in dissolving the United Nations. If the decision of the US to walk out of WHO is anything to go by then we might be looking at a new order emerging at an international level where China will have less power to impact international affairs. This will further impact trade relations and manufacturing and sourcing arrangements that will hurt the global economy even harder.