The threat of a solar storm

[Simfan34]

This is the one "doomsday" scenario I'm genuinely worried about. And it's not something that might happen, but something that will. It's not one of those things that happens every 2 million years or every 200,000 years-- just 150 years! It already has-- less than two centuries ago, and the only reason it wasn't catastrophic was because we weren't really using electricity then. (!!!)

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[link]

The power could be out for months! Years! And this could happen at any time! It's hard not to panic every time I think about this. One of the (relatively) worse things about such an event is that the Chinese may get off relatively lightly. So the geopolitical costs would be unevenly distributed. And there's little we've done about it. The smart grid, Three Amigos, etc, would help, but work on those has been predictably slow.

What say you?

[DavidB.]

Solarstorm has attacked this forum already far too often, hasn't he?

Anyway, no, I don't really feel threatened by this idea (not sure if Europe is even at risk btw), just as I'm not scared of a terrorist attack. Chances are slim, but if it it happens, it happens and there's nothing you can do about it. Therefore, it's best not to worry about it.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Has anyone read "One Second After" by one of Newt Gingrich's ghost writers? It's fiction about the same general results (it was an EMP instead of a solar storm) and the alarming break down of society. Our electric grid is woefully unprepared, and once the power goes out you're going to have a lot of otherwsie preventable deaths. Diabetics, organ transplantees, persons with certain heart or renal disorders, chemotherapy patients, people with feeding tubes or on oxygen, and are just some of the groups whose continued existence depends upon reliable electricity and supply chains. Factor in increased criminal activity, decreased nutrition and hygiene, more accidents from people cutting wood, mass migrations towards resources, and we're talking serious casualties. Roscoe Bartlett did a lot of research on this when he was in Congress.

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2004/08/the-electromagnetic-pulse-commission-warns-of-an-old-threat-with-a-new-face

[dead0man]

Anyway, no, I don't really feel threatened by this idea (not sure if Europe is even at risk btw), just as I'm not scared of a terrorist attack. Chances are slim, but if it it happens, it happens and there's nothing you can do about it. Therefore, it's best not to worry about it.

Europe is under just as much threat as any other place that uses electricity.

I look at it like I look at the Yellowstone Caldera and EMP attacks, worst case for any of them, combined with a sh**tty reaction from the powers that be and yeah, we're all hosed.  But a more realistic case, combined with a mediocre response from the powers that be and it will just suck for a bit for the affected, but we'll get through.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Our society might be seriously screwed up, but I'm pretty sure it would survive a couple months without electricity.

[Simfan34]

Yellowstone is one of those "one-in-500,000-years" things. This is, as I said, one-in-150. It's statistically probable. Chances are not slim.

[Simfan34]

I'm still worried about this!

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Would Faraday Cages provide protection?

[dead0man]

Would Faraday Cages provide protection?

yes, if it's set up right, it would be 100% effective against anything <edit>EMP related </edit>. Just putting whatever you want to protect inside a metal box will help.

The solar threat is inevitable and could be catastrophic if it's a bad one, but not civilization ending.  The worst possible EMP attack on the US (that wouldn't just be a precursor to WWIII) would be an inconvenience and a little expensive.  It will be much worse for whatever organization pulled it off.