Looking back at 2020 - 4th January 2021

2020 was a difficult year for the world. The coronavirus transformed our lives and worsened other problems too. But these problems didn't stop people from making breakthroughs in technology and other areas.

The fear of the pandemic was seen when Cyclone Amphan crashed into the Bay of Bengal in May. Many people were so concerned about catching Covid-19 that they were unwilling to evacuate the area.

However, other environmental disasters have been the result of humans. Thousands of tonnes of oil has polluted the environment, both in the north of Russia and around Mauritius. Marine biologists were particularly concerned about the threat to Mauritius's coral reef systems.

But the news for coral reefs wasn't all bad. In Australia, scientists made the exciting discovery of a vertical, 500 metre high coral reef to the north of the famous Great Barrier Reef.

Australians also took steps to protect land animals. Since their homes were destroyed by forest fires at the beginning of the year, koala bears have been more at risk. However, the government announced new laws to help protect these national symbols.

Meanwhile, Europeans ended up eating a few unusual animals in 2020. Customers buying tuna were shocked to find it was actually shark meat. And some Norwegians started eating whale meat, a traditional food that had grown unpopular in recent years. Whales also prevented disaster in the Netherlands when a runaway train was 'caught' by a plastic whale sculpture.

In the US, animals and technology have joined together with the creation of the world's first 'living robots'. These robots were made of cells from frogs. Other robots were developed to help farmers by checking plants in fields. Farmers in South East Asia also started using technology to help them this year. They created websites to sell their food during coronavirus lockdowns.

There were also more personal achievements this year. Billionaire Chuck Feeney achieved his ambition of giving away all his money. And Ranjitsinh Disale also gave away a large sum of money after he was named the world's most exceptional teacher by the Global Teacher Prize. He chose to share his one million dollar prize with other teachers.

Despite the challenges in 2020, we still accomplished some great things. Many people are now preparing for 2021 with optimism.