AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban captured Kabul on 15 Aug 2021, reshaping regional security and triggering new displacement and governance challenges.
Operational Situation Report
Archive Window: 2021. Status summary of climate signals, governance posture, conflict hotspots, and science/technology milestones. Validate details in Sources.
CLIMATE & EARTH SYSTEMS
SECTION 01 / 2021
2021 TEMPERATURE SIGNAL
2021 remained among the warmest years on record, with continued record-setting trends in key indicators (greenhouse gases, sea level and ocean heat).
Europe experienced major extremes, including the mid-July floods affecting parts of Germany and Belgium.
Core Observations
Persistent warming signal, extreme precipitation and flood risk in parts of Europe, and continued multi-decadal trends in cryosphere loss.
IPCC Assessment Update
IPCC released the Working Group I contribution to AR6 (9 Aug 2021), synthesizing the physical science basis and strengthening attribution evidence for human influence.
NOTE
This page is a briefing layer. Use Sources to validate and follow primary datasets for updates.
GOVERNANCE SNAPSHOT
SECTION 02 / LATE-2021
UNITED STATES
PRESIDENT Joe Biden
UNITED KINGDOM
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson
GERMANY
CHANCELLOR Olaf Scholz (from 8 Dec 2021)
EARLIER 2021 Angela Merkel
FRANCE
PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron
NATO
SEC. GENERAL Jens Stoltenberg
CLIMATE GOVERNANCE
COP26 in Glasgow concluded with the Glasgow Climate Pact, including language on “phase down” of unabated coal power and fossil-fuel subsidy phase-out.
GOVERNANCE SIGNAL
2021 was marked by pandemic governance under stress, accelerated climate diplomacy at COP26, and widening polarization in several regions.
CONFLICT & SECURITY
SECTION 03 / 2021
MYANMAR
A military coup on 1 Feb 2021 initiated widespread unrest and a prolonged crisis with severe humanitarian impact.
ETHIOPIA (TIGRAY)
The Tigray conflict expanded humanitarian needs and access constraints throughout 2021, with repeated warnings about civilian impacts.
ISRAEL / GAZA
Hostilities in May 2021 ended with a ceasefire (21 May 2021) following heavy civilian harm and infrastructure damage.
SYSTEM EFFECTS
- Compounding risk: pandemic recovery and conflict-driven displacement interacted with climate extremes.
- Institutional overload: simultaneous crises reduced diplomatic bandwidth and humanitarian funding coverage.
- Information space: propaganda and online polarization increased as a security factor.
OPERATIONAL NOTE
2021 pattern: rapid political transitions and coups, persistent internal wars, and recurring escalations against the backdrop of pandemic disruption.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
SECTION 04 / 2021
AI: BIOLOGY & STRUCTURE
- AlphaFold2: the peer-reviewed Nature paper describing AlphaFold’s high-accuracy protein structure prediction was published in 2021.
- Scaling effects: model and data scaling continued to reshape NLP and downstream products.
MARS / PLANETARY SCIENCE
- Mars: NASA’s Perseverance rover landed (18 Feb 2021).
- First powered flight: Ingenuity flew on Mars (19 Apr 2021), opening a new exploration modality.
SPACE: NEW OBSERVATORY
- JWST: launched on 25 Dec 2021, enabling a new era in infrared astronomy.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
- IPCC AR6 (WGI): released 9 Aug 2021, consolidating the physical science basis and attribution confidence.
SIGNAL
2021 combined visible exploration milestones (Mars, JWST) with less visible but foundational advances in AI for science and assessment-grade climate synthesis.
HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
SECTION 05 / 2021
MALARIA PREVENTION
- WHO: recommended the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine for children at risk (Oct 2021).
COVID-19: VACCINE SCALE-UP
Vaccine production and rollout expanded globally through 2021, while health systems managed repeated waves and uneven access.
OMICRON
WHO designated Omicron a Variant of Concern on 26 Nov 2021, leading to new waves and policy responses.
COVID THERAPEUTICS
The FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for Paxlovid (22 Dec 2021), adding a major outpatient antiviral tool late in the year.
SOURCES
SECTION 06 / VERIFY
CLIMATE
- WMO: State of the Global Climate 2021
- Copernicus: Globe in 2021
- Copernicus ESOTC: July 2021 flooding in Europe
IPCC
CLIMATE GOVERNANCE
- UNFCCC: Glasgow Climate Pact (PDF)
- UK Government: COP26 dates and overview
- UNFCCC: Glasgow Climate Change Conference page
CONFLICT / HUMANITARIAN
- UN: Ceasefire in Gaza (21 May 2021)
- OCHA: Ethiopia / Tigray humanitarian update (Aug 2021)
- Fall of Kabul (15 Aug 2021) (overview)
- Myanmar coup (1 Feb 2021) (overview)
SCI/TECH
- NASA: Perseverance landing (18 Feb 2021)
- NASA: Ingenuity first flight (19 Apr 2021)
- NASA: JWST launch (25 Dec 2021)
- Nature: Highly accurate protein structure prediction with AlphaFold (2021)
HEALTH
- WHO: RTS,S malaria vaccine recommendation (6 Oct 2021)
- WHO: Omicron classified as Variant of Concern (26 Nov 2021)
- FDA: Paxlovid EUA (22 Dec 2021)
LEADERSHIP (ARCHIVAL PAGES)
Confirm details in the original publications. This page is a structured summary layer.