by Life Positive

However, we now have scientific evidence that 2012 could indeed augur a largescale catastrophe that could have large sections of the world on their knees. According to a report that appeared in The New Sunday Times, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2012 is very likely to be a year in which the sun may unleash a solar superstorm.

Solar storms recur periodically and normally do not cause much damage. Swarms of electrically charged subatomic particles periodically accost the earth, but cocooned under an ocean of air, it hardly affects us except positively, by giving rise to the spectacular Northern Lights.


Soloar Power Unleashed However, every now and then the sun is convulsed by a gigantic tempest of savage proportions, ejecting a billion-tonne malevolent blob of crackling-charged gas into space at a million km an hour. Sometimes this hits the earth. When it does, it plays havoc with electricity, the cornerstone of modern technology. The last time such a storm hit the earth was in 1859.Since we were not girded by electric power the impact was negligible. However today, such a scenario would herald a major disaster. All power would shut down, which would mean not only an end to all electrical appliances, but also the stoppage of water and sewage plants.

A couple of days after a solar superstorm, taps would run dry. Within a week all heat and light would follow, as reserves run out. Supermarkets will empty out, hobbled by lack of electricity. No telephones, no medicines, no manufacturing, no farming, and no food. It will take decades for the affected zones to crawl back to some levels of normalcy.

Why is 2012 the fateful year? Studies prove that the Sun’s activity waxes and wanes in 11-year cycles. A solar maximum is predicted for 2012 and this is when a superstorm could strike.

Grim? Certainly, but the silver lining is that it is going to affect technology-heavy countries more than others. We could still escape the worst by escaping to some village and returning to bucolic bliss. Pack your bags, and don’t forget to include some candles.