2020s in United States political history, 117th Congress, 2021–present, History of Congress
The 2020 elections decided control of both chambers. In the House of Representatives, the Democratic Party retained their majority (albeit reduced from the 116th Congress).


2020s in United States political history, 117th Congress, 2021–present, History of Congress
In the Senate, the Republican Party briefly held the majority at the beginning of the term. On January 20, 2021, three new Democratic senators (Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Alex Padilla of California) were sworn in, resulting in 50 seats held by Republicans, 48 seats held by Democrats, and two held by independents who caucus with the Democrats. Effectively, this created a 50–50 split, which had not occurred since the 107th Congress in 2001.


2020s in United States political history, 117th Congress, 2021–present, History of Congress
With Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie breaker in her constitutional role as Senate President, Democrats have control of the Senate, and thereby have full control of Congress for the first time since the 111th Congress ended in 2011.


2020s in United States political history, 117th Congress, 2021–present, History of Executive branch
In April 2021, President Biden submitted a major infrastructure plan to Congress.


2020s in United States political history, 117th Congress, 2021–present, General history
In early 2021, nearly the entire state of Texas was shut down by major ice storms and snow storms. some areas remained without power for several weeks.


2020s in United States political history, 117th Congress, 2021–present, General history
In early 2021, the federal government made agreements with regional chains of pharmacies to help administer the vaccine for Covid-19.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Climate change
Noam Chomsky says President "... Trump is the worst criminal in history... There has never been a figure in political history who was so passionately dedicated to destroying the projects for organized human life on earth in the near future."


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Foreign policy, Middle East and Central Asia
Tensions between the United States and Iran heated up in January 2020 when Iranian General Qasem Soleimani was killed in a drone attack. Iran retaliated with a strike on U.S. military bases in Iraq. Tensions let up somewhat after it is revealed that Iran accidentally shot down a civilian plane that departed Tehran for Kyiv. The U.S.-Irani relationship remained tense throughout 2020, with the U.S. sending B52s over the Persian Gulf twice in December.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Foreign policy, Middle East and Central Asia
In late February 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement that could lead to the end of the war in Afghanistan.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Foreign policy, Venezuela
Ivan Duque, president of Colombia, revealed in March 2020 that his country and the United States had a three-prong policy to bring about change in Venezuela: support for the opposition, diplomatic isolation, and economic pressures including a blockade against petroleum exports and against financial support. He said the effort was paying off as social discontent increases, oil exports reach only 500,000 barrels/day, and Venezuela could not pay for industrial parts, food, or medicine.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Foreign policy, Venezuela
On March 26, 2020, the United States accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of narcoterrorism and offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Economy
The stock market fell over 3,000 points in the last week of February 2020, the greatest fall since 2008, as investors worry about disruptions to supplies because of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Stocks fell to 18,592 points (Dow average) on March 23 after a procedural Senate vote on a coronavirus economic stimulus bill failed for the second time in two days.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Election interference, Foreign interference
In late February 2020, the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign sued The New York Times for libel for intentionally publishing a false opinion article related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. a week later they sued The Washington Post for the same thing. In March, the Justice Department indicated it might not pursue legal action against a Russian company that bankrolled 2016 election interference.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Election interference, Foreign interference
In the 2019 Special Counsel investigation, Robert Mueller concluded that the Russians and other countries were already trying to interfere in the 2020 United States elections. Other reports indicated that not only Russia but also China and Iran were meddling in U.S. elections. Dan Coats, director of National Intelligence,  about such interference before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in January 2019.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Election interference, Foreign interference
Similar testimony in February 2020 that Russia was trying to help the campaigns of President Trump and Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders led to the firing of acting director of national intelligence, retired Vice Adm. Joseph Maguire, and his replacement by an inexperienced Trump loyalist. Sanders vehemently rejected Russian support for his campaign.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Election interference, Foreign interference
Social media companies Facebook and Twitter announced in March 2020 that they had dismantled scores of Russian-backed trolls originating in Ghana and Nigeria, following a CNN  in the two countries.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Election interference, Domestic interference
After the 2020 United States presidential election in which Joe Biden prevailed, then-incumbent Donald Trump, as well as his campaign, his proxies, and many of his supporters, pursued an aggressive and unprecedented effort to deny and overturn the election. The attempts to overturn the election were described as an attempted coup d'état and an implementation of "the big lie." Trump and his allies promoted numerous false claims that the election was stolen from Trump through an international communist conspiracy, rigged voting machines, and electoral fraud.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, Health care financing
Health care emerged as a leading issue in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2020 United States elections as a whole.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
The United States' response to the COVID-19 pandemic was slow. China announced its first cases in late December 2019 but travelers were allowed to come in from that country until mid-January after the first case was reported in Everett, Washington, on January 20. The White House Coronavirus Task Force was established on January 29, 2020. American diplomatic personal were evacuated the same day. A public health emergency and travel from China was restricted on January 31.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
The lack of federal preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and its possible effects on both public health and the economy were a major concern. Rather than using tests developed in China or Germany, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) opted to produce their own. William Schaffner, a CDC adviser and infectious-disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine said, "The notion of accepting a test developed by someone else I think was a bit alien. There may have been other considerations of which I'm not aware, but I'm sure that pride was one of them: 'We know how to do this, thank you very much. We'll develop our own.'" The first tests proved faulty, and then testing was overly-restrictive.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
The first concern was to evacuate U.S. citizens from Hubei Province, China, where the virus had originated. On February 5, 345 U.S. citizens were evacuated from Hubei Province and taken to two air bases in California to be quarantined for 14 days. 300 others were evacuated the following day. Fourteen of the 340 Americans who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess that was docked in Yokohama, Japan, on February 16 were found to have contracted the virus.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
President Trump refused to take the virus seriously, calling it the Democrats' “new hoax” and promising that “the numbers are going to get progressively better as we go along.” The first case of community transmission was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 26, and even as the first American death had been reported in Seattle, Washington, on February 29, only 472 people had been tested.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
Bowing to Congressional criticism of official misinformation and inaction, on February 26 President Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence to head the coronavirus response team. Given his poor handling of the HIV/AIDS crisis when he was governor of Indiana, Pence's qualifications were quickly challenged.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
By the first week of March, the government had changed its tune. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases warned that the sick and elderly were particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, saying people to avoid large crowds. On March 5, Congress passed and President Trump signed an $8.3 billion package to fight COVID-19. The CDC warned against cruise-ship travel. The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its season on March 11 after one of its players tested positive for COVID-19. States started closing their schools and universities. Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders held a virtual debate two days before the March 17 Illinois Democratic Primary election.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
President Trump placed travel restrictions for 30 days on Continental Europe as the World Health Organization (WHO) declares a pandemic in March 2020. The states of Washington and California banned gatherings of more than 250 people, and the municipality of New Rochelle, New York, imposed a quarantine on residents. Sporting events, concerts, and political rallies were canceled or rescheduled; schools and universities were closed, businesses advised their employees to work from home, and stock market values fell. President Donald Trump officially declared the pandemic a national emergency on March 13.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
Except for signing the relief bill, Trump did not treat the disease seriously until the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. Trump banned most travel from Europe on March 11, but his comments did little to assure the stock market, which fell amid fears of breaks in the supply chain and even recession.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
Concern about the economic fallout from the pandemic prompted the Federal Reserve Bank to lower interest rates to near zero and to purchase $700 billion worth of government securities on March 15. After passing the Senate 92-8 on March 18, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides  for certain workers. Congress prepared for a "Phase 3" response.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Health, COVID-19 pandemic
Xenophobic and racist incidents against Asians and Asian-Americans occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump was criticized for using the expression "Chinese virus” instead of its proper name, with opponents alleging that Trump's rhetoric contributes to the attacks.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Immigration
As Democrats push for more liberal immigration laws in 2020, the Trump Administration makes immigration more difficult and more costly. H-2A temporary visas for agricultural workers were expanded in February 2020, but the Muslim ban was also expanded to several new countries. In February 2020, travel restrictions were imposed on China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy in response to fears of the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Immigration
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled in March that Ken Cuccinelli was not eligible to serve as acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and suspended two policies Cuccinelli implemented while leading the agency.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Technology and Internet
In March 2020, a bill was introduced in the Maryland legislature to tax advertising revenue of Internet giants such as Facebook and Google.


2020s in United States political history, History by issue, Technology and Internet
As soon as trade sanctions were lifted against the Chinese telecom manufacturer ZTE in March 2020, the Justice Department announced a new investigation into the company, this time for bribery.


2020s in economic history
This is an economic history of the 2020s. Economic history refers to the study of economies or economic events of the past, including financial and business history.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, COVID-19 recession
The COVID-19 recession is a major ongoing global economic crisis which has caused both a recession in some nations, and in others a depression. It is currently the worst global economic crisis in history, surpassing the impact of the Great Depression. The economic crisis began due to the economic consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first major sign of a recession was the collapse of markets during the 2020 stock market crash, which began in late February and lasted through March. As of September 2020, every advanced economy is in a recession or depression, whilst all emerging economies are in recession. Modeling by the World Bank suggests that in some regions a full recovery will not be achieved until 2025 or beyond.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Cryptocurrencies
In May 2021, China banned financial institutions and payments services from offering cryptocurrency-related services. In 2021, the cryptocurrency exchange Binance was banned from operating in the United Kingdom.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Financial crash and recovery
The 2020 stock market crash was a major and sudden global stock market crash that began on 20 February 2020 and ended on 7 April.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Financial crash and recovery
The crash was the fastest fall in global stock markets in financial history and the most devastating crash since the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The crash, however, only caused a short-lived bear market, and in April global stock markets re-entered a bull market, which would continue until late October of that year.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Housing prices
Global housing prices grew in with fastest pace since 2006 during the beginning of the decade. Across 53 countries, the average rate of growth was 5.3%. In the United States, housing prices grew by 14.6% in the year to June 2021. A similar rate of growth was observed in Australia. These trends were blamed on low interest rates and the savings accrued during the spendic slump caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Private space travel
Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and Blue Origin began to pioneer in private space travel during the early 2020s.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war
On 8 March 2020, Saudi Arabia initiated a price war with Russia, facilitating a 65% quarterly fall in the price of oil. In the first few weeks of March, US oil prices fell by 34%, crude oil fell by 26%, and Brent oil fell by 24%. The price war was triggered by a break-up in dialogue between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia over proposed oil-production cuts in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Russia walked out of the agreement, leading to the fall of the OPEC+ alliance. Oil prices had already fallen 30% since the start of the year due to a drop in demand. The price war is one of the major causes and effects of the currently ongoing global stock-market crash.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war
In early April 2020 and again in June 2020, Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to oil production cuts. The price became negative on 20 April. Oil production can be slowed, but not stopped completely, and even the lowest possible production level resulted in greater supply than demand; those holding oil futures became willing to pay to offload contracts for oil they expected to be unable to store.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Retail apocalypse
The retail apocalypse continued to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as many were forced to shut down due to lockdowns responding to the pandemic. This has affected at least Pier 1, Neiman Marcus, Tuesday Morning, GNC, and Brooks Brothers.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Taxation
In 2021, the Group of Seven finance ministers agreed on a deal to commit towards a minimum global corporate tax rate of at least 15 percent, which will be aimed at preventing tax havens that cater to large multinational corporations, during a meeting in London.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Tech companies
Lina Khan was appointed as the chair of the Federal Trade Commission in 2021 with the promise to tackle American tech corporations for alleged anti-competitive practices. In the same year, Facebook was found to not be engaging in such practices in a lawsuit brought by 46 U.S. states. Also in 2021, Alphabet Inc. was sued by a group of 37 U.S. states over allegations of overcharging on the Google Play app store. An antitrust case was also opened against the company by the European Commission.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Tech companies
China started cracking down on domestic tech companies in 2021. After Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, criticized the Chinese financial system, he disappeared for three months. The ride-hailing firm DiDi was banned from local app stores after its listing in the New York Stock Exchange. Other  online companies with American investment that were restricted included Yunmanman, Huochebang, and Boss Zhipin. The rules for overseas financing were also tightened.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Telecommuting
Following the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, working from home became far more common due to social distancing requirements. In France 84% of office workers had returned by late 2020, but only 40% had in the UK. New hybrid arrangements emerged, with only half of the 74% of German office employees going to office doing so for the whole working week around the same time. Similar figures were true for other major European countries.


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Trade
The World Trade Organization says that trade growth has stagnated and that the number of trade restrictions is increasing as the decade begins. The sectors most affected by import restrictions are mineral and fuel oils (17.7%), machinery and mechanical appliances (13%), electrical machinery and parts (11.7%), and precious metals (6%). On the other hand, regional trade agreements are .


2020s in economic history, Global events and issues, Trade
The Brexit withdrawal agreement went into effect at the end of January 2020. Mexico and the United States have signed the USMCA agreement, and Canada has signed it as of March 2020.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Africa
In April 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa appeared poised to enter its first recession in 25 years, but this time for a longer duration. The World Bank predicted that overall sub-Saharan Africa's economy would shrink by 2.1%–5.1% during 2020. African countries cumulatively owe $152 billion to China from loans taken 2000–2018; as of May 2020, China was considering granting deadline extensions for repayment, and in June 2020, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that some interest-free loans to certain countries would be forgiven.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Africa, Madagascar
In mid-2021, a severe drought in southern Madagascar caused hundreds of thousands of people, with some estimating more than one million people, to suffer from food insecurity and being on the verge of famine. Some organizations have attributed the situation to the impact of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia, China
As tensions between China and the West rose in the early 2020s, their respective economies began to decouple. In 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on Chinese companies involved in human rights violations against the Uyghurs.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia, China
In 2021, the People's Bank of China ruled that all financial transactions and activities involving cryptocurrency are illegal in the country.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia, China
In 2021, in an effort to control the highly-indebted sector, the Chinese government enacted a "three red lines" rule to limit the leverage of property developers, limiting their borrowing based on their performance in debt-to cash, debt-to-equity, and debt-to-assets metrics. The new regulations greatly affected the property developer Evergrande Group, which had historically used large amounts of borrowing to become successful.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia, Lebanon
The Lebanese liquidity crisis is an ongoing financial crisis affecting the Middle Eastern nation of Lebanon, starting in August 2019, which further exacerbated by both the COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon (which began in 2020) and the 2020 Beirut port explosion. The fall of the exchange rate caused the 2019–2021 Lebanese protests, which ultimately resulted in the resignation of the prime minister and his cabinet. After the resignation occurred, the COVID-19 pandemic forced additional businesses to close their doors and to lay off their employees. On 1 June 2021, the World Bank released a report which warned that the economic crisis in Lebanon would risk becoming one of the three most severe since the mid-19th century, if its "bankrupt economic system, which benefited a few for so long" weren't reformed.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, Cuba
The economy of Cuba went through major difficulties in the early 2020s. This was due to a loss of tourism caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and a lack of economic reforms. The country's dual-currency system was also wound down in 2020. The economic suffering resulted in widespread hunger.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, El Salvador
In 2021, El Salvador became the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender, after the Legislative Assembly votes 62–22 to pass a bill submitted by President Nayib Bukele classifying the cryptocurrency as such.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, Mexico
Pemex was awarded control of a privately discovered oil field by the Mexican government as part of Andrés Manuel López Obrador's "nationalistic" energy policy.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, United States
Before the pandemic, there were signs of recession. The US yield curve inverted in mid-2019, usually indicative of a forthcoming recession.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, United States
Starting in March 2020, job loss was rapid. About 16 million jobs were lost in the United States in the three weeks ending on 4 April. Unemployment claims reached a record high, with 3.3 million claims made in the week ending on 21 March. (The previous record had been 700,000 from 1982.) On 8 May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a U-3 unemployment (official unemployment) figure of 14.7%, the highest level recorded since 1941, with U-6 unemployment (total unemployed plus marginally attached and part-time underemployed workers) reaching 22.8%.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, United States
Restaurant patronage fell sharply across the country, and major airlines reduced their operations on a large scale. The Big Three car manufacturers all halted production. In April, construction of new homes dropped by 30%, reaching the lowest level in five years.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, United States
Approximately 5.4 million Americans lost their health insurance from February to May 2020 after losing their jobs.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, United States
The St. Louis Fed Financial Stress Index increased sharply from below zero to 5.8 during March 2020. The United States Department of Commerce reported that consumer spending fell by 7.5 percent during the month of March 2020. It was the largest monthly drop since record keeping began in 1959. As a result, the country's gross domestic product reduced at a rate of 4.8 percent during the first quarter of 2020.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, United States
The largest economic stimulus legislation in American history, a $2 trillion package called the CARES Act, was signed into law on 27 March 2020.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, United States
In June 2020, economic analyst Jim Cramer said that the response to the COVID-19 recession has led to the biggest transfer of wealth to the ultra-wealthy in modern history. On 30 July 2020, it was reported that the U.S. 2nd quarter gross domestic product fell at an annualized rate of 33%.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Americas, Venezuela
Venezuela launches its second monetary overhaul in the past three years by cutting six zeros from its currency in order to simplify accounting. This move was in response to hyperinflation, which reached an annual record of 1,743%, amid a serious ongoing economic crisis.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
Australia before the recession was suffering from an unusually severe and expensive bushfire season which damaged the economy and domestic trade routes. Not only that, but Australia had experienced significant slowdown in their economic growth, with economists in late 2019 saying that Australia was 'teetering on the edge of a recession'. As a result of this and the effects of the recession, Australia is expecting a deep recession with at least 10.0% of the able working population becoming unemployed according to the Australian treasury and at least a 6.7% GDP retraction according to the IMF. In April 2020, a water consultant predicted a shortage of rice and other staples during the pandemic unless farmers' water allocations were changed.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
The unemployment level of 5.1% is projected to rise to a 25-year high of 10.0%, according to Treasury data released in April 2020. The JobSeeker Payment unemployment benefit base rate was almost doubled in April when it had a Coronavirus Supplement of A$550 added to it, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that this would likely be reduced when the pandemic ends.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
On 12 March 2020 the Government announced a A$17.6 billion stimulus package, the first since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The package consists of multiple parts, a one-off A$750 payment to around 6.5 million welfare recipients as early as 31 March 2020, small business assistance with 700,000 grants up to A$25,000 and a 50% wage subsidy for 120,000 apprenticies or trainees for up to 9 months, A$1 billion to support economically impacted sectors, regions and communities, and A$700 million to increase tax write off and A$3.2 billion to support short-term small and medium-sized business investment.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
On 30 March the Australian Government announced a A$130 billion "JobKeeper" wage subsidy program. The JobKeeper program would pay employers up to A$1500 a fortnight per full-time, part-time or casual employee that has worked for that business for over a year. For a business to be eligible, they must have lost 30% of turnover after 1 March of annual revenue up to and including A$1 billion. For businesses with a revenue of over A$1 billion, turnover must have decreased by 50%. Businesses are then required by law to pay the subsidy to their staff, in lieu of their usual wages.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
This response came after the enormous job losses seen just a week prior when an estimated 1 million Australians lost their jobs. This massive loss in jobs caused the myGov website to crash and lines out of Centrelink offices to run hundreds of metres long. The program was backdated to 1 March, to aim at reemploying the many people who had just lost their jobs in the weeks before. Businesses would receive the JobKeeper subsidy for 6 months.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
The announcement of the JobKeeper wage subsidy program is the largest measure announced by the Australian Government in response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak. In the first hour of the scheme, over 8,000 businesses registered to receive the payments. The JobKeeper wage subsidy program is one of the largest economic packages ever implemented in the history of Australia.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
As of April 2020, up to a million people have been laid off due to effects of the recession. Over 280,000 individuals applied for unemployment support at the peak day.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
On 23 July 2020, Josh Frydenberg delivered a quarterly budget update stating the government had implemented a A$289 billion economic support package. As a result, the 2020–21 budget will record a A$184 billion deficit, the largest since WWII. Australia will maintain their triple A credit rating. Net debt will increase to A$677.1 billion at 20 June 2021. Further, real GDP is forecast to have fallen sharply by 7% in the June quarter with unemployment anticipated to peak at 9.25% in the December quarter.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
However, due to the further reinstatement of restrictions on Victoria, notably stage 4 restrictions, national unemployment is now set to reach 11%. The 2020–21 Budget will be handed down on 6 October, delayed from May. Treasury estimates now place Australia on track to experience a depression, with Australia experiencing a 0.25% contraction in GDP in the 2019–20 financial year, and predictions now expecting a greater than 2.5% contraction in the financial year of 2020–21.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
In September 2020 the Australian Government passed changes to "JobKeeper" wage subsidy program. From September 28, the payment will fall to A$1,200 a fortnight, followed by a further drop at the beginning of January 2021 to A$1,000.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Australia
On 22 February 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the JobSeeker Payment base rate would be increased by A$50 a fortnight from April 2021. The payment  will rise to A$614 a fortnight, with an estimated cost over forward estimates of A$9 billion. It is also intended to increase the threshold amount recipients can earn before their payment starts to be reduced.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, China
As a result of the recession, China's economy contracted for the first time in almost 50 years. The national GDP for the first quarter of 2020 dropped 6.8% year-on-year, 9.8% quarter on quarter, and the GDP for Hubei Province dropped 39.2% in the same period. In May 2020, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced that, for the first time in history, the central government would not set an economic growth target for 2020, with the economy having contracted by 6.8% compared to 2019 and China facing an "unpredictable" time. However, the government also stated an intention to create 9 million new urban jobs until the end of 2020.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, India
The IMF predicted the growth rate of India in the financial year of 2020–21 as 1.9%, but in the following financial year, they predict it to be 7.4%. IMF also predicted that India and China are the only two major economies that will maintain positive growth rates. However the prediction later turned out to be wrong.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, India
On 24 June 2020 IMF revised India's growth rate to -4.5%, a historic low. However, IMF said India's economy is expected to bounce back in 2021 with a robust six percent growth rate.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, India
On 31 August 2020, the National Statistical Office (NSO) released the data, which revealed that the country's GDP contracted by 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2020–21 financial year. The economic contraction followed the severe lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, where an estimated 140 million jobs were lost. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, it was the worst fall in history.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Japan
In Japan, the 2019 4th quarter GDP shrank 7.1% from the previous quarter due to two main factors. One is the government's raise in consumption tax from 8% to 10% despite opposition from the citizens. The other is the devastating effects of Typhoon Hagibis, also known as the Reiwa 1 East Japan Typhoon (令和元年東日本台風, Reiwa Gannen Higashi-Nihon Taifū), or Typhoon Number 19 (台風19).


2020s in economic history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Japan
The 38th depression, 9th typhoon and 3rd super typhoon of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season, it was the strongest typhoon in decades to strike mainland Japan, and one of the largest typhoons ever recorded at a peak diameter of 825 nautical miles (950 mi; 1529 km). It was also the costliest Pacific typhoon on record, surpassing Typhoon Mireille's record by more than US$5 billion (when not adjusted for inflation). In the resort town of Hakone, record rainfall of almost a meter (942.3 mm, 37.1 inches) fell in only 24 hours. This adds to the effect of the pandemic on people's lives and the economy, the prime minister unveiling a 'massive" stimulus amounting to 20% of GDP.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Europe
The European Purchasing Managers' Index, a key indicator of economic activity, crashed to a record-low of 13.5 in April 2020. Normally, any figure below 50 is a sign of economic decline.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Europe, United Kingdom
On 19 March 2020 the Bank of England cut the interest rate to a historic low of 0.1%. Quantitative easing was extended by £200 billion to a total of £645 billion since the start of the Great Recession. A day later, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced the government would spend £350 billion to bolster the economy. On 24 March non-essential business and travel were officially banned in the UK to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Europe, United Kingdom
In April the Bank agreed to extend the government's overdraft facility from £370 million to an undisclosed amount for the first time since 2008. Household spending fell 41.2% in April 2020 compared with April 2019. April's Purchasing Managers' Index score was 13.8 points, the lowest since records began in 1996, indicating a severe downturn of business activity.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Europe, United Kingdom
By the start of May, 23% of the British workforce had been furloughed (temporarily laid off). Government schemes were launched to help furloughed employees and self-employed workers whose incomes had been affected by the outbreak, effectively paying 80% of their regular incomes, subject to eligibility. The Bank estimated that the UK economy could shrink 30% in the first half of 2020 and that unemployment was likely to rise to 9% in 2021. Economic growth was already weak before the crisis, with 0% growth in the fourth quarter of 2019. On 13 May, the Office for National Statistics announced a 2% fall in GDP in the first quarter of 2020, including a then-record 5.8% monthly fall in March. The Chancellor warned it was very likely the UK was going through a significant recession.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Europe, United Kingdom
HSBC, which is based in London, reported $4.3 billion in pre-tax profits during the first half of 2020; this was only one-third of the profits it had taken in the first half of the previous year.


2020s in economic history, History by region, Europe, United Kingdom
On 12 August, it was announced that the UK had entered into recession for the first time in 11 years.


2020s in electoral politics
2020s in electoral politics refers to events and outcomes from elections all around the world, during the decade of the 2020s.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Benin
Presidential elections were held in Benin on 11 April 2021 to elect the President of the Republic of Benin for a five-year term. Incumbent president Patrice Talon was re-elected for a second term in office with 86% of the vote.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Burkina Faso
General elections were held in Burkina Faso on 22 November 2020 to elect the President and National Assembly. In the presidential elections, incumbent president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré of the People's Movement for Progress was re-elected in the first round with 57.9% of the vote, avoiding the need for second round. The main campaign focus of the major presidential candidates was the growing insecurity in the country with the rise in terrorism and ethnic violence.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Burundi
General elections were held in Burundi on 20 May 2020 to elect both the president and the National Assembly. Évariste Ndayishimiye of the ruling CNDD–FDD was elected president with 71% of the vote. In the National Assembly elections, the CNDD–FDD won 72 of the 100 elected seats. The Conference of Bishops of Burundi issued a statement criticizing the transparency and freedom of the election process. The church deployed around 2,716 observers across Burundi's 119 municipalities. The conference's observers witnessed intimidation and expulsion of opposition observers from the polling and vote counting stations.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Burundi
The church condemned the ruling party for engaging in national election fraud. The East African Community issued a statement saying that "The 2020 Burundi elections hold an iconic place in the history of the nation, marking this the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power. More significantly, the process was domestically driven through own funding. The peaceful conclusion of the electoral process will not only be a big win for the people of Burundi, but for the East African Community as a region."


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Cameroon
Parliamentary elections were held in Cameroon on 9 February 2020. The Cameroon People's Democratic Movement retained its majority in parliament, winning 139 of the 167 seats decided on election day. The ongoing Anglophone Crisis dominated the process, with supporters of Ambazonia calling for a boycott of the election. Ensuing violence resulted in a low turnout in the Northwest Region and Southwest Region, with separatists claiming that 98 percent of eligible voters had boycotted the election.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Cape Verde
Parliamentary elections were held in Cape Verde on 18 April 2021. The current prime minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva of the Christian democrat Movement for Democracy (MpD) party, won re-election after five years of government. His main contender was Janira Hopffer Almada, of the moderate socialist African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV). The two parties have been the dominant political forces in Cape Verde since its democratization, but several new parties were taking part in the election.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Comoros
Legislative elections were held in the Comoros on 19 January 2020; in constituencies where no candidate received a majority, a second round was held alongside local elections on 23 February. The elections were boycotted by the main opposition parties, including the two largest parties in the outgoing parliament, the Union for the Development of the Comoros and Juwa Party, in protest at constitutional reform and political repression, The result was a landslide victory for President Azali Assoumani's Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros, which won 20 of the 24 elected seats.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Cote d’Ivoire
Presidential elections were held in Ivory Coast on 31 October 2020. The election, boycotted by the opposition, saw the reelection of incumbent Alassane Ouattara. Several people were killed in clashes in Toumodi, as well as Tiébissou.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Djibouti
Presidential elections were held in Djibouti on 9 April 2021. Incumbent president Ismaïl Omar Guelleh was re-elected for his fifth five-year term, having served in the role since 1999.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Ghana
General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2020. Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was re-elected in the first round after securing a majority of the votes. Former President John Dramani Mahama said he would contest the results.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Guinea
Parliamentary elections were held in Guinea on 22 March 2020 alongside a constitutional referendum, after being postponed four times from the original date of January 2019. The 2020 Guinean presidential election resulted in a third term for President Alpha Condé, with protests against him resulting in at least 30 deaths according to the opposition.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Mali
Parliamentary elections were held in Mali on 29 March 2020, with a second round on 19 April. They were initially scheduled to be held on 25 November and 16 December 2018, but were moved to April 2019 and then to June 2019, before being postponed until 2020 by the Council of Ministers. The elections were marred by violence in the north and center of the country.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Mali
Incidents on April 19 prevented some people from casting votes, and on 30 April the Constitutional Court overturned the results in 31 districts, giving Rally for Mali, which is led by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, ten more seats than originally expected. Opposition parties led by Iman Mahmoud Dicko established the Mouvement du 5 juin - Rassemblement des forces patriotiques (in French) (June 5 Movement - Rally of Patriotic Forces) on 30 May, and thousands took to the streets in protest on 5 June.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Mali
Boubou Cisse was reappointed Prime Minister on 11 June, when he was instructed to form a new government. Tens of thousands of Malians protested again on 19 June, demanding the resignation of President Keïta. On June 20, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for new elections to be held.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Mali
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and Imam Mahmoud Dicko met on 5 July, but the opposition continued to call for civil disobedience to force Keïta's resignation and the dissolution of Parliament. Protests turned violent on 10 July. For the next three days, protesters in Bamako clashed with security forces, and security forces reportedly fired live rounds at the protesters, killing at least 11 and injuring 124.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Seychelles
General elections were held in Seychelles on 22–24 October 2020 to elect the President and members of the National Assembly. The National Assembly elections had been due in 2021, but in July 2020 were brought forward by President Danny Faure in order to hold them together with the presidential elections, a proposal supported by opposition parties.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Seychelles
The presidential elections were won by Wavel Ramkalawan of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), with the LDS also increasing its majority in the National Assembly, winning 25 of the 35 seats.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Tanzania
General elections were held in Tanzania on 28 October 2020 to elect the President and National Assembly. The presidential election was won by incumbent John Magufuli of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party. On 24 October 2020 the opposition claimed that the government was interfering in the election by making it more difficult to accredit thousands of opposition electoral observers, whose job is to ensure that the election is fair. The opposition has also claimed that the National Electoral Commission, whose members are appointed by the president, have barred the challenger Lissu from campaigning while letting the incumbent Magufuli campaign.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Tanzania
From 27 October, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) blocked several popular social media websites to restrict communication amid violence in the islands of Zanzibar, where dozens have been shot dead and tens have been injured by the police and other security forces. Tanzania electoral watch panel, USA State Department, Commonwealth, and European Union were very critical about the elections.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Togo
Presidential elections were held in Togo on 22 February 2020. Incumbent president Faure Gnassingbé of the Union for the Republic (UPR) was re-elected for his fourth term with 71% of the vote in the first round. His closest challenger was Agbéyomé Kodjo, a former prime minister and leader of the newly established Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development, who received 19% of the vote.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Togo
After observing the elections, ECOWAS determined that they were free and transparent, commending the population for its peaceful participation as an improvement from protests years prior against the long reign of the Gnassingbe family. However, sporadic internet shutdowns were recorded across the capital and other major cities, prompting both international watchdogs and opposition parties to question the results.


2020s in electoral politics, Africa, Togo
On 25 February Kodjo filed a petition at the Constitutional Court asking it to overturn the results. Three days later, he and Kpodzro called for public protests, resulting in the military surrounding their homes and the Ministry of Territorial Administration stating that protests would be illegal. Members of the National Assembly responded by accusing Kodjo of planning a coup.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, Azerbaijan
Parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan on 9 February 2020. They were originally scheduled to take place in November 2020, but were brought forward after parliament was dissolved in December 2019. Opposition parties accused President Ilham Aliyev of limiting their ability to campaign, and called for a boycott of the election. The ruling New Azerbaijan Party retained its majority, winning 72 of the 125 seats, although this was later reduced to 70 when results in two constituencies were annulled. The second largest party (the Civic Solidarity Party) won only three seats.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, Japan
On 29 September 2021, Fumio Kishida defeated Taro Kono in a runoff vote to become the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and replaced outgoing party leader Yoshihide Suga. He received a total of 257 votes, from 249 parliament members and eight rank-and-file members, to become Japan's next Prime Minister. Kishida's Cabinet, which took office on 4 October 2021, consists of 21 members, including 13 who joined the Cabinet for the first time while also including 2 veterans, Toshimitsu Motegi and Nobuo Kishi who retained their respective posts from the previous cabinet under Suga. Kishida announced he would call a general election for 31 October 2021.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, Mongolia
Parliamentary elections were held in Mongolia on 24 June 2020. The result was a victory for the ruling Mongolian People's Party, which won 62 of the 76 seats, a slight decrease from the 65 won in the 2016 elections. The Prime Minister Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh resigned on 27 January 2021 following a minor protest against the mistreatment of a hospital patient.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, Myanmar
General elections were held in Myanmar on 8 November 2020, in which the National League for Democracy won 396 out of 476 seats in parliament, while the military's proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, won only 33 seats. In the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, democratically elected members of the ruling National League for Democracy were detained and/or deposed from their offices by the Tatmadaw; Myanmar's military.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, North Korea
At the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un was elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, inheriting the title from his late father Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, South Korea
South Korea's 21st legislative elections were held on 15 April 2020. All 300 members of the National Assembly were elected, 253 from first-past-the-post constituencies and 47 from proportional party lists. They were the first elections held under the new electoral system. The two largest parties, the liberal Democratic Party and the conservative United Future Party, set up new satellite parties (also known as bloc parties) to take advantage of the revised electoral system. The reforms also lowered the voting age from 19 to 18.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, South Korea
The Democratic Party and its satellite, the Platform Party, won a landslide victory, taking 180 of the 300 seats (60%) between them. The Democratic Party alone won 163 seats — the highest number by any party since 1960. This guarantees the ruling liberal alliance an absolute majority in the legislative chamber, and the three-fifths super-majority required to fast-track its procedures. The conservative alliance between the United Future Party and its satellite Future Korea Party won only 103 seats, the worst conservative result since 1960.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, Sri Lanka
Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka were held on 5 August 2020 to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 16th Parliament. The incumbent Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance coalition claimed a landslide victory in the election, winning 145 seats, while Samagi Jana Balawegaya won 54 seats, Tamil National Alliance won 10 seats and National People's Power won 3 seats. The main opposition United National Party suffered the worst showing in its history following a split over party leadership, finishing in fourth place with only one seat. The election was postponed at least twice due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, before the date was finalized as 5 August 2020.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, Tajikistan
Parliamentary elections were held in Tajikistan on 1 March 2020. The result was a landslide victory for the ruling People's Democratic Party, which won 47 of the 63 seats. The only opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, received just 0.3% of the vote. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe was critical of the election.


2020s in electoral politics, Asia, Vietnam
On 31 January 2021, Nguyễn Phú Trọng is re-elected for a third five-year term as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Albania
Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 25 April 2021. The Socialist Party of Albania retained its majority.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Croatia
The presidential elections' second round took place on 5 January 2020 between the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the first round. Zoran Milanović won the second round with 52.66% of the vote. The 2020 Croatian parliamentary election took place on 5 July 2020. The ruling HDZ obtained an upset victory over the Restart Coalition, who had previously been leading in opinion polls for several weeks prior to the elections.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Greece
Presidential elections were held in Greece on Wednesday 22 January 2020 for the President of the Hellenic Republic. Incumbent President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who was elected by the Hellenic Parliament on the 18 February 2015, was eligible for re-election but was not suggested by the government. Katerina Sakellaropoulou won the election with 261 votes. She was elected as the 13th and first female President of Greece.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Iceland
Presidential elections were held in Iceland on 27 June 2020. Absentee voting opened on 25 May 2020. Incumbent president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson was re-elected with 92% of the vote.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Ireland
The 2020 Irish general election resulted in a historic win for the Sinn Féin, making it the second largest party of the Dáil Éireann. The result was seen as a historic shift in Ireland's political landscape, effectively ending the two-party system of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. The reason for the electoral upset for these parties was believed to be in voter dissatisfaction on issues of health, housing and homelessness. Sinn Féin won 37 seats, Fianna Fáil won 38, and Fine Gael won 35. Seán Ó Fearghaíl was re-elected to Ceann Comhairle at the first sitting of the 33rd Dáil on 20 February 2020.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Moldova
The 2020 Moldovan presidential election was won by Maia Sandu becoming the first female president and promising reform of the country's corruption. After entering office, she demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, North Macedonia
Early parliamentary elections were held in North Macedonia on 15 July 2020. It was originally scheduled for November 2020, but Prime Minister Zoran Zaev called early elections after the European Council failed to come to an agreement on starting talks with North Macedonia on joining the European Union in October 2019. The election date was set for 12 April, but was postponed until July due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Poland
The 2020 Polish presidential election was completed with a second round of voting on 12 July 2020. The first round of voting was held on 28 June 2020. The incumbent president Andrzej Duda, running with the support of Law and Justice, faced off against Civic Platform vice-chairman and Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski after first round results showed Duda with 43.5% of the vote and Trzaskowski with 30.46%. Results from the second round of voting, announced by the National Electoral Commission (PKW) on 13 July, indicated that Andrzej Duda had won with 51.03% compared to Rafał Trzaskowski's 48.97%.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Romania
The 2020 Romanian legislative election had a record low turnout of 31.84 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the ruling centre-right coalition winning the election, and the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians entering the legislature for the first time boosted by vaccine skepticism.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Serbia
Parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on 21 June 2020. Initially organised for 26 April 2020, they were postponed by a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. In the period before the elections, inter-party European Parliament–mediated dialogue wаs held and certain changes in election legislation were made. Numerous parliamentary and non-parliamentary political parties boycotted the elections, including the major opposition coalition Alliance for Serbia, which said that there were no conditions for free and fair elections. This resulted in the lowest turnout since the establishment of a multi-party system in 1990. The Serbian Progressive Party–led coalition won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in Europe.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Slovakia
Parliamentary elections were held in Slovakia on 29 February 2020 to elect all 150 members of the National Council. The anti-corruption movement Ordinary People (OĽaNO) led by Igor Matovič emerged as the largest party, winning 53 seats. The ruling coalition comprising Direction – Social Democracy (Smer–SD), the Slovak National Party (SNS) and Most–Híd, led by Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini of Smer–SD, won only 38, with both the SNS and Most–Híd losing their parliamentary representation. It was the first time since the 2006 elections that Smer–SD did not emerge as the party with the most seats.


2020s in electoral politics, Europe, Slovakia
As no party or electoral coalition won a majority of seats, a coalition government was needed. On 13 March, Matovič announced he had reached an agreement for a governing coalition with We Are Family, Freedom and Solidarity and For the People, though they had not agreed upon a common governing program.


2020s in electoral politics, North America, United States of America, 2020 elections
The 2020 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden defeated incumbent Republican President Donald Trump in the presidential election. Despite losing seats in the House of Representatives, Democrats retained control of the House and gained control of the Senate. As a result, the Democrats successfully obtained a government trifecta, the first time since the elections in 2008 that the party gained unified control of Congress and the presidency.


2020s in electoral politics, North America, United States of America, 2020 elections
With Trump losing his bid for re-election, he became the first single-term incumbent president to have overseen his party lose the presidency and control of both the House and the Senate since Herbert Hoover in 1932.


2020s in electoral politics, North America, United States of America, 2020 elections
Biden became his party's nominee after defeating several challengers in the Democratic primaries, while Trump faced token opposition in the Republican primaries. In the congressional elections, Democrats lost seats in the House of Representatives but retained their majority in the chamber by a narrow margin. Democrats made a net gain of three seats in the Senate for a total of 50 seats, taking control of the chamber as newly elected vice-president Kamala Harris could cast tie-breaking votes. Contests for the six non-voting congressional delegates from the District of Columbia and the permanently inhabited U.S. territories were also held during the 2020 elections.


2020s in electoral politics, North America, United States of America, 2020 elections
Regularly-scheduled elections were held in 86 of the 99 state legislative chambers, and 11 states held their gubernatorial elections. Only one state governorship and two legislative chambers changed partisan control, as Republicans won the gubernatorial race in Montana and gained control of both legislative chambers in New Hampshire. Various other state executive and judicial elections, as well as numerous referendums, tribal elections, mayoral elections, and other local elections, also took place in 2020. The 2020 elections were the last major set of elections to impact the redistricting cycle that will take place following the 2020 Census.


2020s in electoral politics, South America, Bolivia
The 2020 Bolivian general election was won by the Movement for Socialism, which had been deposed from power during the 2019 Bolivian political crisis.


2020s in environmental history
This is an environmental history of the 2020s. Environmental history refers to events and trends related to the natural environment and human interactions with it. Examples of human-induced events include biodiversity loss, climate change and holocene extinction.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Anthropogenic effects, Anthropocene
As of July 2020, neither the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) nor the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has officially approved the term as a recognized subdivision of geologic time, but in May 2019, the AWG voted in favor of submitting a formal proposal to the ICS by 2021, locating potential stratigraphic markers to the mid-twentieth century of the common era.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Anthropogenic effects, Biodiversity loss
According to the 2020 United Nations' Global Biodiversity Outlook report, of the 20 biodiversity goals laid out by the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in 2010, only 6 were "partially achieved" by the deadline of 2020. The report highlighted that if the status quo is not changed, biodiversity will continue to decline due to "currently unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, population growth and technological developments". The report also singled out Australia, Brazil and Cameroon and the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) for having had one of its animals lost to extinction in the past 10 years. Following this, the leaders of 64 nations and the European Union pledged to halt environmental degradation and restore the natural world. Leaders from some of the world's biggest polluters, namely China, India, Russia, Brazil, and the United States, were not among them.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Anthropogenic effects, Climate change
The effects of climate change were manifest in 2020 with a record 30 named Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes; the highest heat in 80-years recorded at 54.4 Celsius; massive wildfires in Australia, the Western United States, and the Arctic; and the second-lowest annual Arctic sea ice coverage.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Anthropogenic effects, Climate change
A hundred people died and 18,000 were hospitalized in Japan while France reported 1,462 heat-related deaths in 2019, an El Niño year. 2,800,000 people came down with dengue, leading to 1,250 deaths.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Anthropogenic effects, Climate change
The Milne Ice Shelf, on Ellesmere Island in the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut, collapsed in two days at the end of July 2020. This was the last fully intact Arctic ice shelf.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Anthropogenic effects, Climate change
Environmental groups declared that 2020 was at or near the hottest year on record. NASA said 2020 was tied with 2016, but NOAA said it was second or third. NOAA said 2020 averaged 58.77 °F (14.88 °C), a few hundredths of a degree behind 2016. Other groups (World Meteorological Organization, Copernicus Group, UK Meteorological Office) had slightly different measurements. The differences in rankings mostly turned on how scientists accounted for data gaps in the Arctic, and the difference between first or second place is considered insignificant.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Anthropogenic effects, Holocene extinction
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature's 2020 Living Planet Report, wildlife populations have declined by 68% since 1970 as a result of overconsumption, population growth and intensive farming, which is further evidence that humans have unleashed a sixth mass extinction event.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Natural events
Earthquakes and tsunamis during the decade include the 2020 Caribbean earthquake and the 2020 Zagreb earthquake. Wildfires included the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, 2020 Western United States wildfire season, 2020 Córdoba wildfires, and as well as 2021 Turkish wildfires.


2020s in environmental history, Global issues, Natural events
In 2020, a huge swarm of desert locusts threatened to engulf massive portions of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In tandem with the COVID-19 pandemic, this posed major hazards to billions of people who might be affected. Although experts had thought the insects would die out during the dry season in December 2019, unseasonal rains caused the incursion to reach unanticipated and hazardous levels.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Africa
The 2019–2021 locust infestation caused widespread devastation of food production in the Horn of Africa.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Americas, North America
An extreme heat wave in Western North America began affecting much of the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada in late June 2021. The heat has affected northern California, Idaho, western Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in the United States, as well as British Columbia, and, in its later phase, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, all in Canada. It resulted in some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in the region, including the highest temperature ever measured in Canada at 49.6 °C (121.3 °F).


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Americas, Central America
Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota (both Category 4) hit the region in November within weeks of each other, creating much devastation to the same areas. At least 250 people were killed, with billions of dollars of damage to property.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Asia, Turkey
The 2020 Aegean Sea earthquake killed 117 people in İzmir (in addition to two in Greece) after 41 had died in the Elazığ earthquake in the same year, while the 2020 Iran–Turkey earthquakes killed 10. Forty-one people were also killed by the 2020 Van avalanches.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Asia, Turkey
Over two hundred wildfires burnt 1,600 square kilometres of Turkey's forest in its Mediterranean Region in July and August 2021, the worst ever wildfire season in the country's history.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Europe
In July 2021, several European countries were affected by catastrophic floods, causing deaths and widespread damage. The floods affected several river basins, first in the United Kingdom and later across northern and central Europe including Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy. At least 185 people died in the floods, including 157 in Germany, 27 in Belgium and 1 in Italy.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Europe, Netherlands
Milieudefensie et al v Royal Dutch Shell was a case heard by the district court of The Hague in the Netherlands in 2021 related to efforts by multinational corporations to curtail carbon dioxide emissions. The case was considered a landmark ruling in environmental law related to climate change: while previous lawsuits against governments have prevailed for improving emissions, this was considered the first major suit to hold a corporation to the tenets of the Paris Agreement.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Europe, Netherlands
While the decision only has jurisdiction in the Netherlands, it is expected to set a precedent for other environmental lawsuits against other large companies with high emissions that have not taken sufficient steps to reduce their emissions. The impact of the court's decision was considered by legal experts to be strengthened due to its reliance on human rights standards and international measures on climate change.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Europe, Russia
The Norilsk diesel oil spill was an industrial disaster near Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, that began on 29 May 2020 when a fuel storage tank at Norilsk-Taimyr Energy's Thermal Power Plant No. 3 (owned by Nornickel) failed, flooding local rivers with up to 21,000 cubic metres (17,500 tonnes) of diesel oil. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency in early June. The accident has been described as the second-largest oil spill in modern Russian history. As a result of the spill, up to 21,000 cubic metres (17,500 tonnes) of diesel oil spilled into the Daldykan River. Greenpeace Russia compared the potential environmental effects of the Norilsk spill to that of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. In the aftermath of the Norilsk spill, Russia's Prosecutor General's office ordered safety checks at all dangerous installations built on the permafrost in Russia's Arctic.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Europe, Russia
From June 2021, the taiga forests in Siberia and the Far East region of Russia were hit by unprecedented wildfires, following record-breaking heat and drought. For the first time in recorded history, wildfire smoke reached the North Pole. Causes of the fires include monitoring difficulties, the shifting patterns of the jet stream and climate change in Russia. Large amounts of carbon may be released from formerly frozen ground under the fires, especially peatlands which continued burning from the previous year.


2020s in environmental history, History by region, Oceania, Australia
The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season was particularly destructive, killing at least 28 and destroying no fewer than 3,000 homes. The fires were widespread, but New South Wales (NSW) was the hardest hit. In December 2019 the smoke around Sydney was so bad that air quality was 11 times the "hazardous" level and temperatures were over 40 °C (113°-120 °F). Natural causes such as lightning strikes started most of the fires, which were exasperated by dry conditions and drought, although police in NSW arrested at least 24 people for deliberately starting fires. In total, 7.3 million hectares (17.9 million acres) have burned across Australia's six states—an area larger than Belgium and Denmark combined. Experts estimate 500 million animals died, not including bats, frogs, or insects; one-third of Australia's koalas were killed, according to Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley.


2020s in fashion
Fashions of the 2020s represent a departure from 2010s fashion and have thus far been largely inspired by fashions of the 1960s, 1980s, late 1990s, and early to mid 2000s. Popular unisex brands in the UK and US include Adidas, Nike, Kappa, Tommy Hilfiger, Ellesse, Ralph Lauren, The North Face and Superdry.


2020s in fashion, General trends, COVID-19 pandemic
The global COVID-19 pandemic, which has dominated events in the early part of the decade, also influenced fashion. Wearing a facemask became a common and often mandatory practice to prevent the spread of the virus. While initially utilitarian, the human desire for self-expression and the ability of brands to quickly design and make effective facemasks with only nonspecialized cloth technology soon led to a great diversity of mask designs.


2020s in fashion, General trends, Social media influences
One of the biggest influences of the 2020s has been social media. Many companies have seen social media as a marketing tool and have often collaborated with influencers and celebrities to help promote their product/ idea to their audience. The rise of TikTok has seen brands such as SHEIN and SHEKOU make their mark on 2020s fashion.


2020s in fashion, General trends, Political causes
As seen in the 2020 election in the United States, people often wear clothing items that promote political causes, such as black, yellow and green Pan-African colors and slogan T-shirts associated with the Black Lives Matter movement or the conservationist and vegan motifs favored by E-girls.


2020s in fashion, Women's clothing, Y2K revival
The spring of 2020 was characterised by a rejection of the form-fitting 2010s fashion in the UK, Asia, Latin America, Australia and Europe, due in part to the coronavirus lockdown and a resurgence of interest in late 1990s to early 2000s fashion. Fairtrade, vintage and vegan friendly clothing free from wool and leather went mainstream in reaction to the needless disposal of unsold fast fashion clothes, and also in response to the closure of high street stores during the coronavirus pandemic.


2020s in fashion, Women's clothing, Y2K revival
In India, Pakistan and Ceylon, Generation Z girls repurposed the sari worn by their mothers' generation by pairing it with sneakers, casual knitwear, crop tops, T shirts, black Oxford shoes, Y2K inspired platform sandals, and sportswear. The dresses were often made in contrasting shades of grey, black and blush pink for a sleek, modern and corporate look.


2020s in fashion, Women's clothing, Y2K revival
By fall 2020, younger British and American women abandoned skinny jeans in favor of sweatpants, puffer jackets made from upcycled deadstock fabric, sweatsuits, crocs, leggings, baggy shorts, pants with drawstring waists, zip up denim jumpsuits with large pockets, pink velour tracksuits, platform sandals, baggy pants, white knee boots, fringed handbags especially in black or yellow, multicolored 80s inspired earrings made from recycled ocean plastic, brocade topcoats, midriff baring tops, ankle length skirts sometimes made from sheer fabric, Telfar branded bags, ribbed turtlenecks, off the shoulder knitted tops in beige or blush pink, white bralets, chunky cable knit scarves, culottes chelsea boots, Doc Martens, science fiction inspired metallic jackets, loose-fitting shift dresses or blouses, oversized 80s inspired pale blue or houndstooth jackets with shoulder pads, and cashmere cardigans, and it became acceptable to wear pajamas in public.


2020s in fashion, Women's clothing, Y2K revival
Popular colors included grey, silver, pastel pink, violet, pale blue, lavender, mint green, faded yellow, pastel teal, orange, red and brown. Workplace dress codes became more casual due to a higher proportion of white collar staff working from home, and many professional women paired a formal blouse with casual legwear like shorts or even pajama bottoms when holding video conferences.


2020s in fashion, Women's clothing, 1960s influences and “Cottagecore”
The summer of 2021 saw a revival of psychedelic mid to late 1960s fashion in the UK, Asia, America, and Africa. This floral, frilly aesthetic was termed “cottagecore” by various fashion publications and social media influencers.


2020s in fashion, Women's clothing, 1960s influences and “Cottagecore”
Many younger women wore flared trousers, prairie dresses with floral embroidery, blue gingham minidresses, backless sun dresses, floor-length kaftans with jeans, grey Pendleton jackets popularized by British TV presenter Abbey Clancy, tiered flamenco dresses that flared out below the knee, white gypsy tops with Mexican-inspired floral embroidery, and dresses, maxi skirts and blouses with sunflower print, black cropped slim-fitting jeans, checkerboard motifs, diamond, and hexagonal geometric prints. Popular colors included brown, royal blue, hot pink, orange, yellow and purple.


2020s in fashion, Men's clothing, 2000s revival
Starting in 2020, fashions of the 1980s, late 1990s, and especially the early to mid 2000s made a comeback as Generation Z reached adulthood and mixed carefully selected contemporary fast fashion brands like Ellesse, Kappa, Tommy Hilfiger, or Ralph Lauren with original vintage clothing and recent thrift shop finds.


2020s in fashion, Men's clothing, 2000s revival
Popular trends in the UK, Sweden, China, America, and Australasia included old school hip-hop inspired satin track jackets, suede desert boots, navy blue Harrington jackets, sky blue baseball jackets, bucket hats, sports jerseys, tracksuits with business suit styling, preppy Madras plaid shirts, all-black imitation leather Adidas trainers, suede Timberland boots, Gucci loafers, browline sunglasses, pleated khaki chino pants, midwashed slim-fitting indigo jeans and jean jackets, Nike Air Max sneakers, tie dye socks, oversized sweaters, "Gorpcore" hiking and fishing clothing like Fjallraven windbreakers or cargo pants, taupe or olive green Sandqvist canvas rucksacks, ecru or pale denim bleached almost white, black paisley sweatpants, looser fitting stonewashed jeans, imitation leather messenger bags featuring throwback logos especially Dunlop and Superdry, Fred Perry Oxford shirts with vertical stripes, sleeveless undershirts, Nike Shox, swim shorts, white polo shirts, clubwear especially brightly patterned camp shirts, elements of workwear like fleece jackets, zip-up hoodies or unbranded baseball caps, corduroy pants, trucker caps, mid-wash double denim, oversized Bermuda shorts in reaction to the effeminate short shorts of the 2010s, off-white or navy color block co-ord hoodies and sweatpants with a stripe down the leg, parkas, duffel coats, paint-spattered T-shirts, slim-fitting grey or khaki cargo pants worn with matching lightweight M65 Field Jackets with lots of external patch pockets, black or white crew neck shirts designed by Carhartt, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, or Hanes, classic blue and white Air Jordans, overshirts made from blanket cloth, tricolor socks, grey Vans, retro bowling shirts, striped Rugby shirts, heavily distressed Perfecto motorcycle jackets, black or white monotone plimsolls, chunky hiking sandals, worker boots, combat boots bought as army surplus, and black Tees featuring vintage-inspired graphics such as muscle cars, comic book characters like the Marvel Avengers, advertising brands especially Coca Cola, stylized pale blue and magenta representations of palm trees or cassette players, vintage movie posters such as Star Wars, and sports logos like the Adidas trefoil. Desirable colors included white, yellow, lime green, brown, charcoal, orange, burgundy, and pale blue.


2020s in fashion, Men's clothing, 2000s revival
As the result of many men working from home throughout the lockdown, workplace dress codes became more casual and employees returning to the office frequently combined 1990s business casual attire with elements of loungewear and athleisure such as black monotone sneakers, navy hoodies, shorts, and even dark grey sweatpants. Due to the closure of many gyms during the pandemic, digital smartwatches with timers replaced the traditional analog wristwatches popular in the 2010s as many younger men in Europe and America subscribed to online apps for tracking and planning their exercise routines at home. In the Middle East and some parts of Africa, keffiyehs were used in an attempt to block viruses (though they are not as effective as surgical masks) and to show support for Palestinian nationalism.


2020s in fashion, Men's clothing, Gender neutral clothing
Genderless fashion began as a niche Japanese subculture at the end of the 2010s, and had gone mainstream by 2021 in reaction to the prevailing navy blue suit masculinity. Some fashion experts have speculated that the emerging androgynous style represents a new ideal of male beauty. The style took inspiration from 1980s fashion, anime, trendsetters like Ryuchell, and the often androgynous style of K-pop boy bands. Dyed hair, makeup, short shorts, knee socks, necklaces, tight pants, brothel creepers, Pink Panther and Betty Boop motifs, and feminine blouses in leopard print silver, or bright colors like pink were particularly common.


2020s in fashion, Men's clothing, Gender neutral clothing
At the same time, a few men in the UK and Korea were also experimenting with androgynous fashion like feather boas, kimono style shirts, drop earrings, frilly lace blouses, boots with stacked Cuban heels, crop tops, furry ugg boots, kilts, mint green safari jackets with Nudie Cohn inspired embroidery, shiny jackets with shoulder pads and puffy sleeves, flared trousers, transparent shirts, shawl lapel sportcoats sometimes covered with sequins or rhinestones, thigh boots, and suits in eccentric colors like fuchsia. The main trendsetters included Sam Smith, Lil Nas X, Italian rock band Maneskin, South Korean pop star Jimin, drag artists Ru Paul and Jodie Harsh, Paul Mescal, African entrepreneur Ezra Olubi, and Harry Styles who shocked the mainstream press by wearing a dress in public.


2020s in fashion, Teenage fashion, E-Kids, Punk and Emo
From 2020 to 2021, widespread internet and social media access caused a boom in the popularity of 2000s subcultures and fashion styles amongst teenagers, particularly scene kids, punk, emo, and mall goths. This fad was referred to as the "Rawring Twenties" by some teenage social media influencers. Unlike subcultures of the past, people sought to fully recreate the 'peak' of their chosen subculture in every aspect of their lifestyle. This phenomenon also bought a rise in popularity of secondhand shopping, as it enabled people to find genuine or deadstock items from their chosen subculture.


2020s in fashion, Teenage fashion, E-Kids, Punk and Emo
Like the millennial scene kids swapping style tips on MySpace during the  mid to late 2000s, the Generation Z E-Kids of 2021 use YouTube and TikTok to showcase their multicolored bangs haircuts, customised androgynous all-black outfits, lowrise pants, stripy T shirts, silver jewelery, platform sneakers, knit caps, band T-shirts, garishly printed shirts, hoodies, fishnets, wallet chains, and pale emo inspired makeup. Reasons given for the past subculture revivals are nostalgia; using the past as a form of cocooning; and the fashion being considered more liberating and eye-catching than modern-day clothing.


2020s in fashion, Teenage fashion, Hip-Hop
For black American and black British youth, hip-hop fashion became more polticized during the early 2020s due to the influence of social justice activist rappers like Stormzy, No Name, the Black Lives Matter movement, and a resurgence of interest in past civil rights organisations like the Black Panthers. Slogan T-shirts inspired by punk fashion, black leather jackets or trenchcoats, hoodies, black sweatpants, face-concealing black bandanas, dark glasses, marijuana motifs, skull masks, morale patches, paramilitary tactical vests, and camouflage patterns were popular. Black American activists in the South sometimes wore blue union army kepis at the demolition of Confederate statues, to taunt lost cause revisionists and white supremacists.


2020s in fashion, Hairstyles, Women
Due to the restrictions on hairdressers opening during the COVID-19 lockdowns, many British women grew out their hair. Side ponytails, 1980s inspired bangs, early 2000s fashion inspired straightened and brightly dyed hair popularized by Doja Cat and Billie Eilish, shaggy hair commonly known as the "wolf cut", natural hair for black American women, and buns were popular. Pearl and sequin hairclips that appeared in the late 1980s to early 1990s were also very popular in America. A few women in the UK, US and Asia attempted DIY haircuts while self-isolating, including variants of the bob cut, crop, partially shaved head, and pixie cut, with varying degrees of success.


2020s in fashion, Hairstyles, Men
Beginning in 2020, the wearing of a full beard associated with the hipster subculture underwent a decline, except in parts of the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. When worn, beards were generally trimmed short to accentuate the wearer's features and facilitate the wearing of a face mask. Side parted or centrally parted curtained hair inspired by 1990s and early 2000s fashion saw a comeback among teenagers and young adult men due to barbershops being forced to close during the lockdowns in the UK and US. Many younger African American men opted for natural hair from 2021 onwards, especially short versions of the afro or dreadlocks combined with an undercut. Meanwhile, many balding men in America and Ireland continued to get buzzcuts at home during the lockdown.


2020s in fashion, Gallery
Paint spattered acid wash denim on sale in Poland, 2021.


2020s in fashion, Gallery
Social media influencer Belle Delphine wearing all-black E-girl outfit, 2020.


2020s in film
The 2020s in film are discussed in the following articles:


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Nagorno-Karabakh war
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war was an armed conflict between Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, and the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh together with Armenia, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. It was the latest escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but partially governed by Artsakh, a breakaway state with an Armenian ethnic majority.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Nagorno-Karabakh war
Clashes began on the morning of 27 September 2020 along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact, which had been established in the aftermath of the First Nagorno-Karabakh war (1988–1994). In response to the clashes, Armenia and Artsakh introduced martial law and total mobilization, while Azerbaijan introduced martial law and a curfew, later declaring partial mobilization on 28 September 2020. Turkey provided military support to Azerbaijan, although the extent of this support has been disputed. Turkey's involvement is thought to have been an attempt to extend its sphere of influence, both by increasing the standing of Azerbaijan in the conflict and by marginalizing Russia's influence over the region.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Nagorno-Karabakh war
Following the capture of Shusha, the second-largest settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ending all hostilities in the area from 00:00, 10 November 2020 Moscow Time. The President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, also agreed to end the hostilities. Under the agreement, the warring sides will keep control of their currently held areas within Nagorno-Karabakh, while Armenia will return the surrounding territories it occupied in 1994 to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan will also gain land access to its Nakhchivan exclave bordering Turkey and Iran. Approximately 2,000 Russian soldiers will be deployed as peacekeeping forces along the Lachin corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh for a mandate of at least five years.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Persian Gulf crisis
In January 2020, the United States assassinated the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, general Qasem Soleimani. This led to an Iranian missile strike against bases housing US troops in Iraq five days later. As a result of expectations of a US retribution, the Iranian air defence system accidentally shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, killing all 176 people on board. The International Maritime Security Construct was setup by the US to prevent Iran from disrupting international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Persian Gulf crisis
Israel was suspected of being behind at least five explosions and fires at Iranian nuclear sites in the summer of 2020. The leading nuclear scientist of the country, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated on 27 November 2020, with Iran blaming Israel for the attack.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Tigray conflict
The Tigray conflict is an ongoing armed conflict that began in November 2020 in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, between Tigray Region special forces led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) in alliance with Amhara Region special forces.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Tigray conflict
The conflict stemmed from the attempt of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to distance the country's politics from ethnic federalism, a power-sharing system giving regional influence to individual ethnic groups, by merging the ethnic and region-based parties of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which had governed Ethiopia for 30 years, into a nationwide Prosperity Party.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Tigray conflict
The Tigray People's Liberation Front, a military and politically powerful entity inside Ethiopia representing 6% of the total population ethnically, refused to join the new party, and alleged that Abiy Ahmed became an illegitimate ruler by rescheduling the general elections set for 29 August 2020 to an undetermined date in 2021 due to COVID-19.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Yemeni Civil War
The Yemeni Civil War is an ongoing conflict that began in 2015 between two factions: the Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi led Yemeni government and the Houthi armed movement, along with their supporters and allies. Both claim to constitute the official government of Yemen.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Major conflicts, Yemeni Civil War
Houthi forces currently control the capital Sanaʽa, allied with forces loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have clashed with the forces loyal to Hadi who are based in Aden. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have also carried out attacks, with AQAP controlling swathes of territory in the hinterlands, and along stretches of the coast. Concurrently, the Hadi government is in conflict with UAE forces as a result of UAE military measures such as the United Arab Emirates takeover of Socotra and UAE-backed STC takeover of Aden.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, Afghanistan
The Afghan peace process comprises the proposals and negotiations in a bid to end the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Although sporadic efforts have taken place since the war began in 2001, negotiations and the peace movement intensified in 2018 amid talks between the Taliban, which is the main insurgent group fighting against the Afghan government and American troops; and the United States, of which 20,000 soldiers maintain a presence within the country to support the Afghan government. Most of the talks have taken place in Doha, the capital of Qatar.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, Afghanistan
It is expected that a mutual agreement between the Taliban and the United States would be followed by a phased American withdrawal and the start of intra-Afghan peace talks. Besides the United States, regional powers such as Pakistan, China and India, Russia, as well as NATO play a part in facilitating the peace process.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, Afghanistan
On February 29, 2020, the U.S. signed a conditional peace agreement with the Taliban, which calls for the withdrawal of foreign troops in 14 months if the Taliban uphold the terms of the agreement. On March 1, 2020, however, the Afghan government, which was not a party to the deal, rejected the U.S. and Taliban's call for a prisoner swap by March 10, 2020, with President Ghani stating that such an agreement will require further negotiation and will also not be implemented as a precondition for future peace negotiations. In March 2020, the Taliban announced they would resume hostilities with the Afghan Government if the prisoners were not released.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, Libya
In February 2020, the political track of the Libyan peace process started in Geneva among 20 Libyans, from both the Tobruk-based and Tripoli-based parts of the Libyan House of Representatives, and from the independent persons' group selected by UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), including Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, former Education Minister Othman Abdul Jalil and former head of the HCS Abdulrahman Sewehli. The aimed composition was 13 HoR representatives from both the Tobruk and Tripoli branches, 13 HCS representatives and 14 UNSMIL-selected independent Libyans, for a total of 40.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, South Sudan
The South Sudanese Civil War ended with a negotiated peace treaty. In January 2020, the Community of Sant'Egidio mediated a Rome Peace Declaration between the SSOMA and the South Sudanese government. The most contentious issue delaying the formation of the unity government was whether South Sudan should keep 32 or return to 10 states.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, South Sudan
On 14 February 2020, Kiir announced South Sudan would return to 10 states in addition to three administrative areas of Abyei, Pibor, and Ruweng, and on 22 February Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president for the creation of the unity government, ending the civil war. Disarmament campaigns led by the government has led to resistance, with clashes killing more than 100 people in two days in north-central Tonj in August 2020.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, Sudan
In January 2020, progress was made in peace negotiations, in the areas of land, transitional justice and system of government issues via the Darfur track of negotiations. SRF and Sovereignty Council representatives agreed on the creation of a Special Court for Darfur to conduct investigations and trials for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out during the War in Darfur by the al-Bashir presidency and by warlords.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, Sudan
Two Areas negotiations with SPLM-N (al-Hilu) had progressed on six framework agreement points, after a two-week pause, but disagreement remained on SPLM-N (al-Hilu)'s requirement of a secular state in South Kordofan and Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile self-determination. On 24 January on the Two Areas track, political and security agreements, constituting a framework agreement, were signed by Hemetti on behalf of the Sovereignty Council and Ahmed El Omda Badi on behalf of SPLM-N (Agar).


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Peace processes, Sudan
The agreements give legislative autonomy to South Kordofan and Blue Nile; propose solutions for the sharing of land and other resources, and aim to unify all militias and government soldiers into a single unified Sudanese military body. On 26 January, a "final" peace agreement for the northern track, including issues of studies for new dams, compensation for people displaced by existing dams, road construction and burial of electronic and nuclear waste, was signed by Shamseldin Kabashi of the Sovereignty Council and Dahab Ibrahim of the Kush Movement.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Weapons technology, Air combat
Artificial intelligence solutions are being developed and deployed for air combat purposes, though sixth-generation jet fighters are expected to still have human pilots. Specific tasks will, however, are being automated, for example in the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, Weapons technology, Land warfare
A sensor-system for detecting underground military activities, such as tunnelling, was developed by the Sandia National Laboratories in the early 2020s.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, International alliances, AUKUS
The AUKUS  trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States was announced on 15 September 2021. Under the pact, the United States and United Kingdom agree to help Australia to develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines, adding to the Western military presence in the Pacific region.


2020s in military history, Events and trends, International alliances, AUKUS
Although the joint announcement by Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, British prime minister Boris Johnson and US president Joe Biden did not mention any other country by name, anonymous White House sources have alleged it is designed to counter the influence of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the Indo-Pacific region.


2020s in military history, History by region, Africa, Kenya
The Camp Simba attack by Al-Shabaab in January 2020 killed three Americans.


2020s in military history, History by region, Africa, Morocco
In November 2020, the Polisario Front declared it had broken a 30-year truce and attacked Moroccan forces in Western Sahara as part of the Western Sahara conflict.


2020s in military history, History by region, Africa, Mozambique
The insurgency in Cabo Delgado intensified with events such as the 2020 Mozambique attacks, the Mocímboa da Praia offensive in 2020 and the Battle of Palma in 2021.


2020s in military history, History by region, Americas, United States
The United States formally withdrew from the Treaty on Open Skies on November 22, 2020.


2020s in military history, History by region, Asia-Pacific, Afghanistan
On February 29, 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in Doha, Qatar, officially titled the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan. The provisions of the deal include the withdrawal of all American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, a Taliban pledge to prevent al-Qaeda from operating in areas under Taliban control, and talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The United States agreed to an initial reduction of its force level from 13,000 to 8,600 by July 2020, followed by a full withdrawal within 14 months if the Taliban keeps its commitments. The United States also committed to closing five military bases within 135 days, and expressed its intent to end economic sanctions on the Taliban by August 27, 2020. The deal was supported by China, Russia and Pakistan, although it did not involve the government of Afghanistan.