Being that we've never observed a pole shift, saying we're overdue and that the core fluctuations are in line with it aren't exactly totally legitimate evidence. They may be real signs, and they may not be. We just don't know.
Isn't there a possibility that a weakening of the magnetic field could lead to sudden electronic death syndrome?
No, not really. Coronal mass ejections have thus far not proven large enough to destroy electronics on Earth, and we don't know that the field will weaken during the switch either. It's conjecture. The field may maintain its current strength, get stronger, or be stronger and weaker in different areas due to their being several poles. However, even if the field were to fail completely, the interaction between the solar wind and the ionosphere creates a magnetic field independent of the polar field.
A storm similair to the Carignton event of 1859 would be strong enough to do destroy a lot of the Earth's electronics. I believe there was an estimation of 60% of all transformators and related infrastructure failing, meaning 6 months to 2 year until power is back online, and more than ten years of economic recovery.
Still, these things only happen every 500 years, and the Carignton event was a direct hit. The effects were spectacular though. Auroras over the Carribean, rocky mountains experiencing luminocity comparable with daylight, complete failure of telegraph systems in Europe and North America (Read: spontanous electrocutions, paper catching on fire and sparks everywhere). Even funnier was that certain telegraph systems managed to stay operationall, even after the powersource was removed.
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Topic: End of the world plans? (Read 10823 times)