The records ‘broken’ in 2022 – Energy prices, temperatures, rockets

From extremely high temperatures recorded in many parts of the globe, to soaring energy prices and millions of refugees fleeing Ukraine to escape the war, 2022 has been a year of extremes.

AFP reports on some of the records broken:

Food and energy prices

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February sent energy and food costs soaring, with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index hitting an all-time high in March and gas costs in Europe reaching high records. Eurozone annual inflation rose steadily to 10.6% in October, the biggest increase since the index was introduced in 1997.

Refugees

The war in Ukraine also caused the largest wave of refugees in Europe since the end of the Second World War. More than seven million Ukrainians have fled the country and fled to other European countries, and another 6.9 million have been internally displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Globally, the number of displaced people exceeded 100 million for the first time.

Unbearable heat

Europe experienced its hottest summer on record with the thermometer hitting red in many countries, including England where the mercury hit 40C for the first time. Wildfires related to the high temperature and humidity also burned more land—over 6 million hectares—than had ever occurred in Europe.

“Hail” of rockets

North Korea has fired a record number of missiles into the Sea of ​​Japan in response to large-scale joint military exercises conducted by South Korea and the US. At its peak, on November 2, 23 rockets were launched in a 24-hour period.

Goodbye Queen

After 70 years on the throne, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died on September 8 at the age of 96. It is estimated that, before her funeral ceremony, around 250,000 citizens paid obeisance to her coffin.

Pandemonium with Musk

It’s been a landmark year for Elon Musk, the world’s richest man whose fortune was estimated at nearly $200 billion as of early December, according to Forbes. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO added Twitter to his portfolio for $44 billion and soon sparked controversy by firing half the staff and reactivating the accounts of people—like Donald Trump—who had been banned from the platform.

New Artistic Heights

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s art collection, which includes works by Cézanne, Klimt and Van Gogh, has been sold by Christie’s for $1.62 billion, the most ever paid for art at auction. Meanwhile, Andy Warhol’s famous 1964 silkscreen portrait of Marilyn Monroe became the most expensive work of art of the 20th century after it was sold by Christie’s for a record $195 million in four minutes.

Titans of Tennis

When Rafael Nadal won Roland Garros for the 14th time, the Spanish ace extended his personal Grand Slam record to 22 ahead of Novak Djokovic (21) and Roger Federer (20). This was also a year of farewells with two of the world’s greatest athletes ending their careers: Federer and Serena Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slams.

Carbon Dioxide With Notes

US singer Taylor Swift’s 10th album ‘Midnights’ caused such a frenzy that it crashed Spotify as her fans attempted to listen to it in a single day more than any other album. Ten of his tracks entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100—another first.

However, the singer also scored a negative first, as she was at the top of the list of “biggest private jet polluters” among celebrities because she chooses this means of transportation very often. In August, when this negative first was announced, she was already counting 170 flights with her private jet.

Eight Billion People

In November, the world’s population – which numbered 2.5 billion people in 1950 – surpassed eight billion, according to the United Nations.

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