20142019

20142019 refers to the six-year period from 2014 through 2019. It was marked by a combination of geopolitical shifts, economic developments, scientific advances, and social movements that helped shape the late 2010s.

Geopolitics and security: In 2014 Russia annexed Crimea, leading to ongoing conflict in Ukraine and international sanctions. The West faced the West Africa Ebola outbreak (2014–2016), which prompted substantial global health responses. The Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted in 2015 and entered into force in 2016, coordinating efforts to limit warming. The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016, initiating the Brexit process. The United States held a highly consequential presidential election in 2016. In 2018–2019, North Korea diplomacy produced a brief period of engagement, while large-scale pro-democracy protests occurred in Hong Kong in 2019.

Economy, technology and society: The era saw persistent globalization alongside rising protectionist sentiment and escalating trade tensions, notably between the United States and China in 2018–2019. The Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 intensified concerns about data privacy and the influence of social media. Scientifically, the period included the first direct detection of gravitational waves, announced in 2016 for events detected in 2015, advances in genome editing with CRISPR, and the first image of a black hole produced by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2019. The spread of mobile technology continued, with 5G development accelerating toward deployment.

Environment and culture: Climate action remained central to international discourse under the Paris framework, while environmental events and disasters underscored global vulnerabilities. Social movements gained momentum, including the MeToo movement in 2017 and expanding climate and youth activism in 2019 led by activists such as Greta Thunberg.