Looking back at 2020 - 4th January 2021

There were a lot of problems this year. We learned to change our way of life because of coronavirus. There were many environmental disasters. But during 2020, people still achieved amazing things.

Natural disasters were more difficult with coronavirus. A big storm, Cyclone Amphan, hit the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. But people were also afraid of coronavirus. So they didn't want to leave their homes.

Other environmental problems were caused by humans. There was an oil spill in Russia. In Mauritius, a cargo ship crashed and broke apart. A lot of oil went into the ocean. Biologists were very worried that the oil might kill coral reefs in the area.

In Australia, there was more positive news for coral reefs. A 500 metre high reef was discovered near the Great Barrier Reef.

Animals on land were also important to Australia this year. The government made new laws to protect koala bears. Koalas are in danger after forest fires burned their homes at the beginning of 2020.

In Europe, some surprising animals were on the menu. European customers bought shark meat which they thought was tuna. And in Norway, whale meat became more popular for the first time in years. A different kind of whale ended up saving a train driver in the Netherlands. A sculpture of a whale tail stopped a train from crashing at a metro station.

In America, scientists mixed animals with technology. The first living robots were developed. They are made with animal cells.

Other US scientists created robots to help farmers. These robots work in fields and check the crops.

2020 was also a year for kindness. Billionaire Chuck Feeney gave away all his money. And the winner of the Global Teacher Prize shared his winnings with other teachers. Ranjitsinh Disale gave half of his $1 million prize money away.

There were lots of big problems and disasters in 2020. But throughout the year, there was lots of positive news too. Now, we are getting ready for 2021 with hope.