News We Missed In 2021

2021 was dominated by reports of vaccinations, COVID-19 variants, and coronavirus related restrictions, possibly causing us to miss many other important news from across the globe. Here are a few important stories you may have missed in 2021:

Increased focus on climate change

2021 saw a large focus on expanding climate activism. The Youth Movement brought attention to climate policy, and campaigns like the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty started gaining traction, with support from the International Energy Agency. 

The year also saw climate activism expanding to PR agencies, Wall Street, social media practices, and courts. One company which has made significant advancements is the parent company of Google, Alphabet. Alphabet became carbon neutral in 2007, and later became the first company of its size to match its total electricity consumption with renewable energy. This is substantial, as Alphabet is the world’s largest corporate buyer of renewable energy, having 50+ projects totaling 5.5 GW of renewable energy projects globally. By 2030, they also plan to be the first major company to operate full time on carbon-free energy by investing in further advancing renewable energy methods. 

UK’s new Environmental Act also became a law in 2021, promising to clean the air, restore natural habitats, increase biodiversity, reduce waste, and make better use of their resources. The new legislation also claims to halt the decline in species by 2030, require new developments to improve/create habitats for nature, and help deforestation overseas. One of the biggest issues being resolved by this law is the commitment to stopping the export of polluting plastic waste to developing countries. This is important in the fight for a cleaner Earth as the UK is reported to discard over 1.8m kilos of plastic overseas every day. Even though the UK is not the only nation in the world contributing to climate change, this is a notable advancement. 

More nations saw strengthened LGBTQ+ rights 

Across the world, acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community was on the rise in 2021. Whilst negative stigma and discrimination are still major global problems which need to be resolved, many nations took major steps forward in 2021.

Bhutan became the latest Asian nation to decriminalize homosexuality this year, amending a line from their penal code which criminalized  "sodomy or any other sexual conduct that is against the order of nature," previously treated as a reference to gay sex. This is seen as a massive victory for the LGBTQ+ community, as Bhutan is often recognized as a nation in which violence towards those of other sexual orientations is far too common. Whilst the country still has a large amount of work to do in reducing negative stigmas, their advancement in 2021 should not be taken lightly. 

Bangladesh also saw their first transgender mayor in 2021. Nazrul Islam Ritu, who is ‘third gender’, beat her opponent in a landslide win to become the mayor of Trilochanpur. When asked by Al Jazeera, she said that “The glass ceiling is breaking. It’s a good sign.” “The victory means they really love me and they have embraced me as their own.” Whilst many of the changes could be seen in lower income countries, the United States also made impressive improvements in 2021. 

Joe Biden ended a ban on service by those who are transgender in the military, reversed a policy which allowed health care companies to deny coverage to those in the LGBTQ+ community, and signed an executive order vowing to use diplomacy and foreign assistance to promote/protect LGBTQ+ rights internationally.

Switzerland also became one of the last remaining nations in Western Europe to approve same-sex marriage in September 2021, with nearly ⅔ of voters backing the referendum. The change in the law will now allow same-sex couples to have the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples. "Today reflects the change of mentality over the last 20 years," Olga Baranova, a spokeswoman for the 'Yes Campaign,' told news agency Agence France-Presse. "It is really the reflection of a very broad and very important acceptance of LGBT people in society."

 
Student debt not being forgiven

Over 44 million US citizens collectively hold over $1.6 trillion in student debt, and the number is only going up. Many now declare this itself a crisis, but with both the pandemic and the following economic crisis, this has only made the situation worse. 

After the 2008 recession, many made the decision to return to education and earn degrees which would increase their employability. However, CNBC reported that since then, the cost of a college education has now increased by over 25%, and student debt has increased by 107%. This has resulted in many now wondering whether the benefit of a degree outweighs the mountain of student debt waiting for them.

This crisis has left millions of citizens worrying that their student debt will last many years after their graduation date, with some even believing that it would be impossible to pay off in the current environment. The US department of education however paused repayment, collections, and interest on federal student loans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic under the Trump administration, with its final deadline on the 31st of January 2022. This has left millions of Americans now anticipating the return of repayments, and for the crisis to unfold again even after Biden’s short extension of deadline.

Detrimental impacts on the economy due to rising student debt can include generational inequality, effects on GDP, and increasing delinquency — therefore it is a crisis which should not be taken lightly.

Whilst these stories are very important to be aware of, many other notable stories happened in 2021, such as, more women coming into power, the rise of NFT’s, and the billionaire’s space race. 2022 is a mystery so far, with the whole year ahead of us to not only accomplish further technological advancements, but to change society for the better — keep updated with Jejune!