From the wave of elections, the bloody wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, to the growing threat of global heating, Terina Hine assesses the major events of the year

Elections, war and climate change dominated the news in 2024. The year saw more than two billion people across fifty countries go to the polls; relentless death and destruction in Ukraine and Gaza, the death toll in Gaza topping 45,000 by December; and record-breaking temperatures and greenhouse-gas emissions resulting in a host of extreme weather events around the world.

Elections

There were elections across the globe with the world’s largest democracy going to the polls in June: 642 million people voted in India, setting a world record. The BJP government was re-elected with a reduced majority, seen as a direct rebuke of Modi and his Hindu nationalism; economic inequality and youth unemployment proved to be more significant issues for working people. Unsurprisingly, in Russia, Putin won his election with a decisive 88% of the vote, helped no doubt by the death and imprisonment of his key opponents.

In Romania, the 2024 election was annulled, somewhat ironically, to preserve democracy, when people voted for the ‘wrong’ party, based on alleged Russian meddling on TikTok. While in France, President Macron made the fatal error of assuming he knew voters’ intentions, called a snap election, and lost his party’s majority. Chaos has reigned ever since as he refuses to permit a left alliance to take office.

Less predictable perhaps was the United States election where pundits failed to tap into the discontent with the status quo felt by the majority of the American public. It was not just that the Democrats were too slow to realise ‘’sleepy Joe’ was indeed asleep, but they and the commentariat also failed to see how the growth of the economy had failed to trickle down into the wallets of most ordinary Americans. Having survived an assassination attempt, and multiple court cases, Trump romped home to victory. Unlike the last time, he won a decisive majority and the Republicans won a majority in both houses.

With Kamala Harris’ late entry into the race, she didn’t really stand a chance, being part of the Biden team and closely associated with the administration’s support for Israel; even in Democratic heartlands she haemorrhaged votes. And if you weren’t convinced of the anger working-class Americans felt towards their elites by the election result itself, the response on social media to the murder of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December acted as confirmation. Social media was flooded by support for the suspect, highlighting the overwhelming level of hostility felt towards the US healthcare and health insurance system.

Closer to home, the predicted and long awaited Labour victory at the polls produced a rehashed Blairism with less content or purpose and without the political nous of the man himself. Starmer has proved to be a worse politician than even the most cynical thought possible.

Labour’s victory may have been huge in terms of seats won, but it was less decisive in terms of national vote share. Labour won fewer votes than they did when Corbyn was leader, and in his own constituency, Starmer became the first newly elected prime minister to have won his seat with fewer votes than previously. Corbyn himself won a decisive victory in Islington North as an independent. A group of independent pro-Palestine candidates won seats, and where candidates stood on a Palestine ticket, the vote share for Labour was significantly squeezed. 

Notable losses that put smiles on people’s faces at GE24 included Liz Truss, who had previously held a majority of 23,000, Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps, Jacob Rees-Mogg and all Welsh Tories. The frown-inducing wins unfortunately included Nigel Farage, who finally won the seat representing Clacton. The rise of his Reform party is of particular concern for the year ahead. Unfortunately, Labour seem hell bent on helping this surge of the far-right.

Since polling day, Starmer’s national ratings have plummeted from a pretty poor beginning to an all-time low for any PM at this stage in office. At each turn, Starmer has opted for the least popular course of action in what appears to be a concerted effort to alienate and anger as many constituents as possible – from pensioners to Waspi women.

War

As predicted by many in the anti-war movement, Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians plunged the entire region into chaos and crisis in 2024.

In Gaza, over 45,000 people have now been killed, and that is a conservative estimate. The territory has been turned to rubble. In the early days of the war, Israel held that its bombing of hospitals was accidental, but by the end of 2024, there are no fully functioning hospitals left. If the war does come to an end soon, as some predict, there will be no homes to return to in the north of Gaza: nothing is left standing, and any peace will be fragile.

None of this destruction could have happened without the backing of Western powers, mainly the US, although Britain has played a key role. Without Western backing, Isreal would have had to abandon its carnage immediately. At the core of this support is Western imperial policy.

2024 saw Israel expand their war from Gaza to Lebanon, where they invaded a sovereign country and conducted indiscriminate acts of terror with exploding pagers and bombing raids straight from their Gaza playbook. In its attempt to change the balance of power in the Middle East, Israel launched its first attack on Iranian soil as well as a missile strike on Iran’s Damascus embassy. Hezbollah is now a depleted force. This and Russia’s focus on Ukraine, resulted in dramatic repercussions in Syria, where fundamentalist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) deposed the Assad regime with a speed few could have predicted. Israel has now taken the opportunity to invade and repeatedly bomb yet another country without a murmur of criticism from the Labour government. What happens next in Syria as imperialist rivalries play out is one of the great unknowns for 2025.

In May, the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Israeli leaders for war crimes. The warrants have now been issued, yet in Britain, David Lammy and Keir Starmer continue to offer to support and arm the pariah state, compounding their complicity in genocide. At the same time, they condemn those who take to the streets in support and solidarity with the Palestinians.

In Ukraine, the war of attrition continues. Labour’s commitment to the war was clarified by Starmer insisting he would stand with Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced over the last three years and Ukraine is clearly losing the war. Public opinion has turned, levels of desertion by Ukrainian troops are at an all-time high, and internal opposition has grown, yet rather than push for peace talks – which will inevitably take place soon – the US and UK have directly intervened to keep the war going.

At the Oscars in March, Christopher Nolan won Best Director for his film Oppenheimer. Just a few months later, the world came closer to nuclear war than it has for decades. By allowing the use of British-made Storm Shadow missiles and US-made ATACMS on Russian territory, Nato and the West have pushed the world to the brink of nuclear war.

Climate change

2024 became the year when climate disaster hit the news as much as political chaos and warfare, such was the extent of the extreme weather.

The storms of ’24 were some of the most powerful witnessed for generations, leading to widespread disruption. Parts of central and eastern Europe suffered catastrophic floods thanks to Storm Boris. Thousands had to flee as some regions received more than three month’s worth of rain in one night. The Atlantic hurricanes ranked among the costliest on record, with damages estimated at $200 billion, as thousands were left without power, and many lost their homes.

China and Pakistan also faced devastating floods. In China, the government had to take action to protect 127 million from the impact of flooding. In Pakistan, major floods in August left 140,000 displaced and living in tents. Months later, they are still suffering with health risks from stagnant water and lost livelihoods, compounded by little international or government support.

It is all part of an emerging pattern. As the climate crisis spins out of control, the extreme vulnerability of certain countries becomes clear. And where the richer countries cope, the poorer struggle, risking a ‘climate apartheid’.

As well as flooding, it was yet another year of extreme heat, with temperatures hitting new heights, especially across Asia. Yet carbon emissions increase and little is done as the competitive drive to accumulate continues.

In January, the largest cruise ship in the world – longer (at 364 metres) than the  Eiffel Tower is tall – embarked on its maiden voyage. The level of pollution and sheer waste of such a ship beggars belief. In other shipping news, a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, its massive weight caused the entire bridge to collapse dramatically. Ships like these ensure international shipping remains a growing and major source of greenhouse-gas emissions – upwards of 3% – making the industry the sixth largest greenhouse-gas emitter worldwide.

As the economic damage of extreme weather rises and the cost of climate inaction grows perhaps political action will follow. Profits count more than lives, so action will only be taken when the former are threatened. As yet, there is little sign of change. The Cop summit (Cop29, held in November in Azerbaijan) was a farce, dominated by the fossil-fuel industry’s 1,773 lobbyists. In the meantime, it is up to the climate movement to try to prevent disaster.

Good news

It is hard to find much in the way of good news from the last year, but there was one major good news story. Julian Assange walked free after five years in Belmarsh high-security prison and a fourteen-year legal battle with his American prosecutors. It was a defeat for both the US and the UK political establishment and a victory for freedom of speech.

In other good news, millions of us took the streets in solidarity with Palestine. There have now been 22 national demonstrations in London and many more across the country. The strength of the movement helped elect pro-Palestinian MPs to parliament and helped see the back of a ruthless and corrupt Tory government. But it is clear that Labour will neither move away from Tory foreign policy nor answer society’s problems. It is also clear the party cannot be reformed. Labour is even more brutal in power than many imagined, so it is up to ordinary working people to fight for change.

Only a fool would predict what will happen next, but it is evident that 2025 will be a year fraught with instability. The world’s climate is at a tipping point, peace settlements, if they are agreed, will be fragile and the rise of the far right poses a serious threat. To make the world a safer, more peaceful place depends on us. Our task for 2025 is therefore to get organised.