What Lies Ahead in 2022? Nostradamus' Predictions That May Come True
12:13 GMT 28.12.2021 (Updated: 09:46 GMT 14.02.2023)
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From the death of Henry II, the Great Fire of London, and French Revolution to Napoleon's conquest, Hitler's ascent to power, and the atomic bomb, the French oracle has been credited for foretelling numerous events. Will the French oracle be right this time?
We're three days away from the end of 2021, which means it is time to think about what the new year may bring. When it comes to global predictions one invariably turns to French astrologer Nostradamus, who has been dubbed the "Prophet of Doom" for his distressing forecasts. Here are some that may happen in 2022. Spoiler Alert: more sedatives will be needed to get through it all.
Asteroid Strike
This scenario, if true, will make the coronavirus pandemic look like a walk in the park. According to NASA, of the more than 600,000 asteroids travelling through our solar system more than 20,000 have been identified as near-Earth objects (NEOs), meaning their trajectories bring them close to Earth, with some of the celestial objects posing a danger to our planet.
NASA as well as other space agencies closely monitor these NEOs, but there have been instances when researchers learned about the close approach of an asteroid just hours before the rendezvous or even after the celestial body whizzed past our planet.
NASA says that every 2,000 years our planet is bombarded by an asteroid the size of a football field, which can cause severe damage. Some space visitors though can cause catastrophic consequences like the one that caused the Cretaceous-Palaeogene mass extinction event (ask the dinosaurs about it) 66 million years ago. The asteroid wiped out 75 percent of animal and plant species on Earth.
In his infamous collection of prophesies (Les Prophéties) Nostradamus didn't give the timeline for the asteroid collision only writing that "a great fire will fall from the sky for three nights, the cause will appear both stupefying and marvelous, shortly afterwards there will be an earthquake".
The good news is that NASA and other space agencies are working on preventing asteroid collisions. The proposed solutions included:
NASA says that every 2,000 years our planet is bombarded by an asteroid the size of a football field, which can cause severe damage. Some space visitors though can cause catastrophic consequences like the one that caused the Cretaceous-Palaeogene mass extinction event (ask the dinosaurs about it) 66 million years ago. The asteroid wiped out 75 percent of animal and plant species on Earth.
In his infamous collection of prophesies (Les Prophéties) Nostradamus didn't give the timeline for the asteroid collision only writing that "a great fire will fall from the sky for three nights, the cause will appear both stupefying and marvelous, shortly afterwards there will be an earthquake".
The good news is that NASA and other space agencies are working on preventing asteroid collisions. The proposed solutions included:
crashing a spacecraft into the celestial body in order to change its trajectory;
destroying the asteroid with a powerful bomb, including a nuclear weapon (Bruce Willis, don't hang up your space suit);
The bad news is that a recent simulation showed that none of the options worked.
Damned Inflation
No, the French astrologer didn't also dabble in economics. His forecast has to do with inflation possibly leading to instability and famine, which, in turn, can lead to wars between nations.
"No abbots, monks, no novices to learn. Honey shall cost far more than candle-wax. So high the price of wheat that man is stirred. His fellow man to eat in his despair", Nostradamus wrote in one of his prophecies.
The coronavirus pandemic has wrought unprecedented financial damage, affecting both economic growth and inflation. Europe has been hit by an energy crisis with wholesale prices of gas seeing a rise of almost 400 percent this year, with reports saying that heating bills could skyrocket more than 50 percent in 2022.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned earlier this year that due to the coronavirus pandemic the world may face a "widespread famine of biblical proportions". According to the WFP, more than 30 developing countries could experience widespread famine and 10 of them already have more than one million people on the brink of starvation.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned earlier this year that due to the coronavirus pandemic the world may face a "widespread famine of biblical proportions". According to the WFP, more than 30 developing countries could experience widespread famine and 10 of them already have more than one million people on the brink of starvation.
Per the Centre for NEO Studies, as of September 2019 there were over 20,600 near-Earth objects, of which roughly 922 near-Earth asteroids have been listed on the risk table, with about 95 percent far too small to qualify as a potentially hazardous object.
There is a silver lining, according to the organisation. The issue can be dealt with if Elon Musk, one of the world's richest individuals, donates 2 percent of his income. The bad news is the entreprenuer doubts that the United Nations will spend his money accordingly.
Global Warming
Long droughts, devastating wildfires, scorching heat and extreme cold, deadly floods, massive tornadoes and storms, strong earthquakes – the past few decades have taught us not to be shocked when yet another natural disaster or extreme weather event occurs in different parts of the globe.
Scientists say if the international community fails limit the increase of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, we're about to see these tragic events becoming more intense and occurring more often until they lead to catastrophic consequences - the collapse of natural ecosystems as well as the inability to farm, which, in turn, will lead to war and instability, not to mention extreme temperatures that few of us will bear.
Long before researchers came up with the term global warming Nostradamus predicted that humanity would one day have to deal with extreme climate events.
Scientists say if the international community fails limit the increase of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, we're about to see these tragic events becoming more intense and occurring more often until they lead to catastrophic consequences - the collapse of natural ecosystems as well as the inability to farm, which, in turn, will lead to war and instability, not to mention extreme temperatures that few of us will bear.
Long before researchers came up with the term global warming Nostradamus predicted that humanity would one day have to deal with extreme climate events.
"For forty years the rainbow will not be seen. For forty years it will be seen every day. The dry earth will grow more parched and there will be great floods when it is seen", the French astrologer wrote, adding that the temperature in seas and oceans will become so high that fish will be "half-cooked".
In October, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate warned that the planet is warming faster than previously thought as it urged countries to slash greenhouse gas emissions and thus limit the increase of global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius.
During the recent climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, world leaders pledged to adopt certain measures to protect the environment and prevent the release of emissions.
During the recent climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, world leaders pledged to adopt certain measures to protect the environment and prevent the release of emissions.
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