Last year, we’ve saw many world changing events that have affected us in shape or form. We’ve seen the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States, the devastating hurricanes that hit the Caribbean and Southern United States, the devastating  terror attacks in Las Vegas. Additionally, the secession of the Autonomous Region of Catalonia from Spain and much more.

2018 is here and scholars and some of the world’s smartest people have predicted some shocking events for the new year. Vikram Mansharamani, a lecturer for Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has made 18 predictions for 2018. One of his predictions includes China to rebuild the Silk Road. The Silk Road was originally a trade route established between China and the Roman Empire. It allowed for Eastern goods from Asia to reach Western Empires in Europe and vice versa. The Silk Road also allowed for a share in religious ideas between Christianity and Buddhism. Mansharamani predicts that the Silk Road will be restarted in 2018 or further beyond 2018. He states that the Silk Road will be slow to get started, but it will boost investor interest in Africa and Pakistan.

Another prediction for 2018 was a chain of earthquake occurrences in the Pacific Northwest. Mansharamani says that the earthquakes will cause many people to be displaced.  As a result, communities in the Ring of Fire will plan on new building codes for the area. This should be shocking to the people on the West coast due to the fact that a fault line hugs the Western coast of America and the Western coast of Canada. Dangerous volcanic eruptions could be triggered by the supposed earthquakes causing chaos for many.

Most notably, Mount St. Helens which scientists have said could blow at any moment and pose a threat to the region. In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted and caused one of the world’s largest landslides in history. The eruption removed 1,300 feet of land off the volcano. The blast caused by the eruption was heard hundreds of miles away. As a result of the eruption, 57 people died. Scientists predict that if Mount St. Helens erupted as a result of an earthquake, it could be catastrophic to the region. Although it’s initial blast will not trigger other volcanic blasts, the ash will be the main component in a supposed eruption.

Another prediction made by Mansharamani is the start of rising sea levels. Mansharamani predicted that the rising sea levels will cause the relocation of millions of people from coastal areas. It is expected that in the next few decades, coastal locations will be underwater. That includes us here on Long Island. Our hometown and place that we grew up and shared countless memories could be history in the next few decades. Mansharamani predicts that the melting of the Arctic ice cap will cause rivalry between the United States, Russia, Canada and Norway for resources under the ice cap. These are just three of some the most compelling predictions for 2018 and beyond.