Despite the ongoing threat of coronavirus, 2020 has been a year of protest. From Minnesota to Belarus, growing social, economic and political change has driven protesters to the streets. However, according to research from the Center of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), this is no new phenomenom but part of a growing trend. Since 2009, CSIS data shows the number of global mass protests has increased annually by an average of 11.5%.
Beyond protests, other unplanned crisis events are becoming more frequent, unpredictable and severe. By September, the Atlantic hurricane season had seen seven named storms make landfall in the U.S. for the first time ever. Meanwhile in California, not only did the 2020 wildfire season start earlier than expected, it has become the largest ever.