- 4 months ago
From devastating wars to environmental crises, some decisions have changed our world forever. Join us as we explore the most catastrophic choices made by world leaders in recent years. Our countdown examines how these decisions have led to humanitarian crises, environmental disasters, and global instability with effects still being felt today.
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00:00It indicates the military had a plan to wipe out this whole population.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, where we'll be looking at decisions with the most catastrophic consequences made over the last decade.
00:13The shock felt by millions of American women underscores what could be a new reality in this country.
00:20Zero federal protections for this kind of medical care.
00:23Number 10, the Brexit referendum.
00:26As voting day draws closer, Remain is still predicted to win.
00:31But the polls are narrowing, and Boris is beginning to catch up with his old rival, David Cameron.
00:37The European Union is one of the largest trade unions in the world.
00:41In the 2015 UK election, Tory politician David Cameron promised a vote to decide if Britain should leave the EU.
00:48Even though it wasn't legally binding, Leave won by a small margin, and Britain eventually left in 2020.
00:54The Brexit vote has also polarized Britain, driving a wedge between the older generation and the young, who mainly voted to stay in the EU.
01:04Most of the younger generation voted to stay, and I think it just kind of shows that, like, there's a real difference, and, like, our future's kind of been taken away.
01:11Since then, the UK has experienced a serious economic decline and cost-of-living crisis.
01:17Brexit isn't the sole factor, but it's a huge contributor.
01:20The majority of polls show a higher proportion of UK citizens believe it was a mistake, and some even wish to rejoin.
01:27But that's unlikely to happen soon.
01:29The British people have spoken, and the answer is, we're out.
01:35Number 9, Bolsonaro's deforestation.
01:38While scientists continue to sound the alarm, people on the ground, like Father Edelberto Sena, have, for years, been a thorn in the side of agribusiness, and, more recently, the Bolsonaro government.
01:49Between 2019 and 2023, Jair Bolsonaro was president of Brazil.
01:55He quickly became one of their most controversial presidents ever, and a huge factor was his eagerness to destroy the Amazon rainforest.
02:02Under his administration, deforestation reached alarming levels.
02:06He stripped protections from indigenous lands, and threatened to worsen the situation if foreign funding stopped.
02:12Scientists insist that the Amazon is vital for countering greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.
02:19But president-elect Jair Bolsonaro questions its very existence.
02:24This felt like he was essentially holding the rainforest hostage.
02:27By the end of his term, some regions of the Amazon were emitting more carbon than they stored.
02:32His successor is way more environmentally friendly.
02:35But unfortunately, many conservationists worry the damage is irreparable.
02:39Still, thousands of kilometers from the seat of government, the powerful timber lobby has pinned all its hopes on the new president.
02:47This region is long known as the Brazilian Wild West, Santo Antônio de Matupi.
02:52Number 8. Boeing 737 MAX Crisis.
02:55We had been writing about how, going back nearly a decade, Boeing had designed the MAX from the start to not require additional simulator training for pilots.
03:05It's one of the largest plane manufacturers in the world, but in recent years, it's become increasingly competitive with rival Airbus.
03:13This led to the 737 MAX disaster.
03:16Boeing prioritized competition over safety by hiding details of its new automated maneuvering system from pilots to reduce training costs.
03:24If you're going to give us the system that we are going to be affected by, it's hugely important that we get briefed on what it is.
03:31The first 737 MAX planes flew in 2016, but their reputation took a major hit after two crashes in 2018 and 2019.
03:41In both flights, all passengers tragically died.
03:44The planes were subsequently grounded, and Boeing lost billions because of the incident.
03:48After corrections to the system were made, the planes were brought back into service by the end of 2021.
03:54However, many anxious flyers still get fearful when they see they're boarding a 737 MAX.
04:00They had submitted over 1,200 surface difficulty reports.
04:04That's a technical problem. That's a flight control issue. That's something that's flight safety related.
04:09Number 7. U.S. Exits Paris Agreement.
04:11Trump says the cuts will save trillions for the U.S. Treasury, but climate scientists say the cuts will actually cost the U.S. government jobs.
04:21The Paris Agreement was signed in 2016 and aims to mitigate climate change.
04:25It's been signed by 195 countries, but after Donald Trump became America's president, he didn't hesitate to pull out.
04:32He's making it harder for Americans to actually withstand the climate impacts that we know are here and that we know we need to prepare for in the coming years.
04:44The Green Climate Fund lost $3 billion in U.S. funding, and climate research took a huge hit.
04:50Trump has long pushed the idea that global warming is a hoax.
04:54The fact that one of the world's leading powers isn't taking the climate crisis seriously is harrowing.
04:59Fortunately for Trump, the worst consequences won't be realized for several decades.
05:04I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.
05:10Pittsburgh's mayor responding.
05:12Every major American city in the past 24 hours has decided if Washington's not going to do it, we will.
05:20Number 6. The Philippines Drug War.
05:22Anybody ever held to account for these murders?
05:25No. Until now, no.
05:26No. You know, that's the sad thing about it.
05:31Some countries, like Portugal, have humane ways of dealing with substance abuse, believing destigmatization encourages victims to seek help.
05:38Others, like the Philippines, have much more outrageous ways of curing these issues.
05:42From 2016 onwards, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte began encouraging people to take the war on drugs into their own hands.
05:50If you resist, and it is a violent one, placing in jeopardy the lives of my policemen, you are free to kill the idiots.
06:04That is my order to you.
06:06This included advising citizens to murder people with substance abuse disorder in the streets.
06:12The majority of the victims come from poverty, and it's considered a major human rights violation by Amnesty International.
06:18In March 2025, Duterte was arrested and brought to The Hague as a result of his crimes against humanity.
06:24Mr. Duterte immediately bared the names of politicians, policemen, government officials, and judges accused of being drug lords or their supporters.
06:33Albuera Leitimey Rolando Espinosa Sr. promptly surrendered.
06:37No. 5. Roe v. Wade overturned.
06:40The Supreme Court will announce their decision by early July.
06:43Until then, millions of Americans brace for what could be the end of their right to a personal freedom.
06:50Are we going to stand for this?
06:51When a person needs an abortion, if it's illegal, they may turn to shady places to get it done.
06:58Such procedures have no regulation, making them highly dangerous.
07:02As a result, a lot of countries have opted to legalize abortion, including America in 1973.
07:09This was Roe v. Wade, which made abortion a federally protected right.
07:13That was until 2022, when it was overturned.
07:16States like Arkansas can now revive their pre-Roe bans through official enforcement or by filing court actions.
07:22However, not all states with pre-Roe bans are poised to enforce the laws.
07:27This means abortion laws now vary widely depending on the state, with it being legal in places like California, but banned in states like Texas.
07:35Some states ban it entirely, even in horrific circumstances, making it feel like a step backwards for many.
07:41It just stuns me.
07:45So extreme that doctors will be criminalized for fulfilling their duty.
07:50So extreme that women could be punished for protecting their health.
07:54Number four, China's treatments of the Uyghurs.
07:57For Uyghurs, life under surveillance is no longer their only burden.
08:01Now they risk being sent to the camps at any time.
08:04Xinjiang is a massive province in northwestern China, and is home to the Uyghurs, a Muslim Turkic ethnic group.
08:12Tragically, the CCP is anything but kind to them.
08:15Since 2017, they've been moving Uyghurs into internment camps.
08:20Many consider it genocidal, and it's the world's largest movement of ethnic minorities since the Holocaust.
08:26The government denies any wrongdoing, but the International Criminal Court is unable to investigate,
08:31as China hasn't signed the treaty that would give the court jurisdiction there.
08:35According to the police officer, he said that my brother had a sensitive book, which was banned by the government.
08:46Impromptu kind of court was held, court hearing was held in the camp, and he was sentenced to 14 years.
08:52The CCP heavily censors the topic, meaning most Chinese citizens are oblivious to the crisis.
08:58They've even released propaganda videos titled, Xinjiang is a Wonderful Land,
09:03while simultaneously claiming their measures are to counter terrorism in Xinjiang.
09:07Myanmar's commander-in-chief is Senior General Min Ong Hlaing.
09:27One of the most disgusting crimes against humanity of the 21st century so far is taking place in Myanmar.
09:46Since 2016, Myanmar's armed forces have been systematically exterminating the Muslim Rohingya people.
09:52Before it began, 1.4 million Rohingya called Myanmar home.
09:57As of 2025, approximately 300,000 remain.
10:11Many fled to Bangladesh, where the world's largest refugee camp was established, housing almost 700,000 people.
10:18It's almost impossible to measure the destruction that's been caused.
10:22Tons of villages have been wiped out, and tens of thousands have died.
10:26As of 2025, it is still ongoing, but it doesn't seem to get the international backlash such atrocities deserve.
10:33It has been largely overlooked that President Tien Sen considers most Rohingya illegal immigrants who should be deported.
10:40I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
10:50Number 2. Netanyahu raising tensions with Iran.
10:54Well, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it launched the strike because of Iran's nuclear program poses a threat to the country's very survival.
11:03Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent over 30 years accusing Iran of developing nuclear bombs.
11:09In 1992, he said they were only three to five years away from having a nuclear weapon.
11:15In 2025, he is still saying they're only a year or two away.
11:19In June 2025, these accusations escalated to a full-on military strike.
11:24Explosions were heard in the capital, Tehran, and at the Natanz nuclear facility, around 200 miles to the south.
11:32Several Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders have been killed.
11:36Iran's state TV is reporting that civilians, including children, are among the dead.
11:41This led to a brief conflict known as the 12-day war, with both countries firing missiles at each other.
11:47Tensions have since ratcheted down, but if military superpowers like America are pulled into a war, the result could be devastating.
11:54Now, in comparison, the strikes that Israel launched against Iran were far more devastating,
12:00but the mere fact that Iran was able to get any missiles into a neighborhood like this, so close to Tel Aviv,
12:06will be grasped as a propaganda win by a diminished Iranian regime.
12:30The war between Russia and Ukraine began in 2014, when Russia controversially annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
12:49A ceasefire was signed in February 2015, but it eventually escalated into a full-scale invasion by early 2022.
12:56The war is currently at a stalemate, with changes in front lines taking months.
13:01Thousands are racing to get out of Kiev, lining up to board trains and buses that will take them out of the city.
13:07It's uncertain how long Ukraine will hold out, as President Zelensky seeks aid from foreign powers.
13:13If Russia comes out on top, the rest of Europe should be fearful.
13:17Putin is an aggressive leader, and a victory may bolster his confidence, motivating him to invade other vulnerable nations.
13:24Putin is a man who is used to winning, and convinced he can outwit, or outlast, any opponent.
13:31He's been underestimated many times, but in Ukraine, he may have finally overestimated his leadership.
13:38Which decision do you think had the most far-reaching consequences in the past 10 years?
13:43Let us know in the comments section.
13:45His war on Ukraine, a shock of historic proportions, rallied many Russians behind him.
13:52Though, of course, not to show loyalty, has become increasingly dangerous.
13:57Lay out!
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