The end of the world as we know it?

• A report by Alicja Baczyńska

Dutch Pieter van der Meer poses in his Norwegian lifeboat lying in his garden in Kootwijkerbroek, The Netherlands. Thirty-five persons will take refuge in the boat to survive a coming global apocalypse, which according to an ancient Maya calender should happen on 21 December. The Mayan calendar marks the end of a cycle on 21 December 2012, sparking a controversy if this is the announcement of the end of the world or the change of an era.

A mysterious planet colliding with the earth, a polar shift, and a planetary alignment are some of the most prevalent scenarios for the supposedly impending end of the world. Will the Armageddon hysteria come to an end with a flash and bang, or rather a sigh and “I told you so”?

Alicja Baczyńska reports