It looks as though we have survived what has been called the Mayan prophecy, however, the absence of brimstone does not mean that the myth is entirely without merit. Doomsday scenarios date back to the dawn of civilization and December 21, 2012 gained notoriety because it is the end date of a 5,125 year long cycle in the Mayan calendar. While the world did not come to a cataclysmic close, we may be on the cusp of serious civilization altering changes.
The most recent apocalyptic prophecy predicted that the end of the Mayan Calendar would herald a cataclysm. While it does signal the end of an era there is no evidence to indicate that it heralds the end of the world.
Scholars from many disciplines have dismissed the idea of the Mayan calendar prophecy. Y2K generated huge amounts of concern and with the exception of some technological problems associated with the internal clocks of computers, nothing happened at all.
The world ending scenarios comprise a wide gamut of civilization ending beliefs including asteroids, polar reversals and solar flares.
While the world may not have succumbed to a fiery explosion on December 21, there are far more insidious forces that are inching their way to what can only be described as an apocalyptic outcome.
Climate change is a threat that has already manifested in a variety of ways including food shortages, extreme weather, and big spikes in the cost of fossil fuels.
Climate change is already killing at least 400,000 people per year and in the absence of consorted global action the toll will continue climbing.
While the world may not come have come to an abrupt end, we are on the cusp of irreversible tipping points.
More optimistically there is some evidence that indicates we may be at the beginning of a serious effort to combat climate change.
© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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