How can the magnetic fields switching affect us?

If media outlets like National Geographic, Science Examiner and The Sun are to be believed, the human race could be in trouble soon. The event causing concern is the Earth’s magnetic fields switching, so the north pole becomes the south and vice versa.

This is predicted by some media outlets as being the catalyst to cause a Y2K-style breakdown of man-made technology, due to our reliance on the magnetic fields. To sort the fact from the fiction, The Daily was joined by Professor Fred Menk of the University of Newcastle.