2022 part 2 - 30th December 2022

In 2022, temperatures got very high. It was 40 degrees in the UK. Forests burned in Portugal and France. Fire burned thousands of houses. Forests in the USA were on fire too.

India's government made a new rule for plastics. Businesses can't use 'single use' plastics, like takeaway boxes. Now, companies make environmentally friendly plates and bags.

Rhea Mazumdar Singhal: 'We wanted to create a product that was safe for humanity to eat their food out of. By that I mean that it doesn't change the nutritional value of the food that you put in it. Secondly, it had to be safe for the environment. So it wasn't going to sit in a landfill and it's not going to outlive you forever.'

Women in Saudi Arabia started jobs as mechanics. In the past, only men did most jobs. But this year, the government changed the rules. Now women can do a lot of jobs.

Secret schools taught girls in Afghanistan. They said that they were religious schools. The Taliban won't open schools for girls.

Scientists have a new test for bacteria in vaccines. They usually test vaccines with blood from horseshoe crabs. Soon, they won't need to use this blood anymore.

And a special peanut paste saved lives. It's full of energy. This year, it helped children in Kenya. It gives a hungry child important protein and vitamins.

James Jarso: "If we run out of this, more deaths would be recorded very soon actually, very soon. We lost a child, I saw. We actually referred four of them to Marsabit County referral hospital. One died! We lost him. Three of them survived. So, this one is life saving. Without this, more children will die."

Two great world leaders died. Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union. And Queen Elizabeth II died. She was queen for 70 years.

There were many deaths from natural disasters too. Monsoon rains left 30 percent of Pakistan under water. Millions needed help. Environmental problems from climate change cost billions of dollars.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "Floods in Pakistan, drought and famine in the Greater Horn of Africa, and more frequent and intense cyclones in the Pacific and Caribbean all point to the urgent need for action against the existential threat of climate change."

A very strong hurricane hit Florida. Now, people are worried about climate change. They don't know what to do.

Irene Giordano: "We have nowhere to go. I mean we could, we've, well I mean, we have places to go. But I, I just, you know, my mom's here - I just don't know. Don't have really any desire, in, in some ways, I - it's hard to say. It just, it just, it's just hard to describe."

In November, poor countries asked for money at COP27 in Egypt. Leaders from many countries were there. Poor countries don't make much CO2. But they have big problems from climate change.

Disha Ravi: "We are here today to ask world leaders to pay up for loss and damages in my country and other countries in the world that are on the frontline of the climate crisis, so we are here to ask today to show us the money."

At the end of 2022, war continued in Ukraine. Russia's bombs hit electricity networks. There wasn't enough electricity. But musicians played concerts for people. They used LED candles. The concerts were a chance to relax.