Buzz
In September of 1859, Earth was struck by a spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME). Astronomers witnessed a brilliant white flare erupting from the Sun, with auroras visible as far south as Cuba and Jamaica. This colossal solar event caused widespread damage to electrical systems around the globe: telegraph wires were scorched, flames erupted from electrical circuits, and telegraph lines remained functional even without batteries connected.
Today, electronic devices are far more widespread than they were in 1859. Almost every household in the developed world is hooked up to an electrical grid, billions of people rely on satellites for communication, and essential services depend on electricity to function. It is believed that an EMP attack in the United States could utterly collapse the country's energy infrastructure, potentially leaving 90 percent of the population without resources. The impact of an EMP would be similar to that of a CME, but a sufficiently powerful solar flare could incapacitate the entire planet.
How many of us are truly prepared for such a scenario? What would happen to society and culture if the Earth were struck by an electromagnetic burst like the one that narrowly missed us in 2012? If our electronic conveniences vanished in an instant, modern civilization would be exposed as fragile as a tinfoil hat.
Here are ten potential disasters that humanity could face if a relentless solar storm were to descend upon us from the Sun.
10. Disruption of Telecom Satellites
If given adequate warning, communication satellites can be powered down before a solar storm strikes Earth. However, the first phase of a CME strikes the planet at the speed of light, leaving almost no time for preparation. During this phase, electromagnetic radiation disrupts satellite signals by altering the atmospheric composition. With communications severed, it becomes impossible to ready satellites for the subsequent phase of the solar storm. Most communication satellites would not survive the high-speed charged particle bombardment that quickly follows the initial radiation burst.
Military forces globally depend on satellites for communication. Billions of financial transactions are processed daily via satellites. People in remote areas rely on satellites for connectivity, and pilots depend on them for navigating aircraft. If the second phase of a CME were to incapacitate the worldwide satellite communication network, it could take weeks or even months to restore the system. But with the third phase of the solar storm already approaching, it would be far too early to begin repairs.
9. Fallen Astronauts
A coronal mass ejection would appear breathtaking from space. The start of this catastrophic event would be signaled by a brilliant flash of white light. However, astronauts conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) would have no time to marvel at the phenomenon. Stranded in the vastness of space, clad only in their space suits, astronauts would be instantly killed by the charged particles that arrive just minutes after the initial flash.
If an astronaut outside the spacecraft managed to reach the airlock in time, they would be temporarily shielded from the effects of the impending solar storm. Spacecraft are designed with robust shielding to protect their occupants from cosmic radiation, and the charged particles streaming from the Sun would slide off the hull like rain drops.
However, with satellites disabled, astronauts would have no means of communication with Earth. They would be stranded in space, with no option but to wait for the inevitable.
8. Collapse of Electrical Grids
While the first two stages of a massive solar storm are troubling, the third and final phase of a CME eclipses them in terms of destructive power. Long after the radiation and charged particles from the CME have already reached Earth's electromagnetic borders, a colossal cloud of gas and plasma would be charging toward us at speeds of millions of miles per hour.
The Earth's atmosphere serves as a shield, preventing us from direct exposure to a CME. But once this immense cloud of solar debris collides with the Earth's magnetosphere, all chaos would erupt on the planet's surface. Power transformers would explode worldwide, plunging millions into darkness. Power lines would buckle and snap, and regional communication systems would crash. If the solar storm were strong enough, every electronic device on Earth could be instantly wiped out.
The world would be plunged into darkness, and vast numbers of people, conditioned over generations to rely on electronics and the established systems, would suddenly find themselves deprived of both sustenance and guidance.
7. Closure of Healthcare Facilities
Hospitals and medical centers would be the first to experience the severe consequences of a prolonged power outage. While many hospitals have backup generators to maintain essential operations when the power fails, these generators rarely have the capacity to handle the entire electrical demand of a modern hospital. Even the most cautious hospital administrators typically only expect a few days without power at most.
If a coronal mass ejection were to completely knock out the electrical grid of an entire region or country, it could take weeks or even months to restore electricity. Since fuel for emergency generators is already a limited resource, the lights would quickly go out in hospitals across the globe. For many patients, those lights would never come back on.
6. Breakdown of Supply Chains
Without power, gas pumps would be nonfunctional. While some gas stations have prepared for emergencies by storing extra fuel and installing backup generators, station owners would eventually be forced to make a difficult decision: use the gasoline or diesel to power their generators or supply fuel to those in need. If the power grid were to stay down for more than a few days due to a solar storm, desperate drivers might resort to prying open manhole covers at gas stations to fuel their vehicles, risking their safety in the process.
Without diesel, supply trucks would be rendered useless. Without jet fuel, airmail services would cease entirely. People would be forced to wait far longer than two days to get their Amazon Prime deliveries, and grocery store shelves would quickly empty out.
5. Widespread Hunger
Most people today have little understanding of how to survive during a true disaster. Even those with the right mindset often lack the resources or knowledge for prolonged off-the-grid survival. Once credit cards stop working, cash loses its value, and supermarkets run out of food, millions of people would face the grim reality of starvation.
Despite humanity’s relentless encroachment on the diminishing wilderness, nature’s bounty remains untapped. Yet most individuals lack the ability or will to forage for roots in the rain all day, and many nations have stigmatized gun ownership, leaving citizens without the means to hunt for sustenance when needed.
Whether legally or illegally, many people in urban areas are armed. If a prolonged disruption in supply lines were to occur, these individuals would likely come together to find ways to obtain food and necessities, by any means necessary.
4. Anarchy
People living in rural areas would likely fare better than their urban counterparts if a solar storm caused an extended power outage. Those in the countryside often produce at least some of their own food and are more familiar with traditional survival skills than city dwellers. However, their ability to thrive would soon be challenged when armed gangs from the cities start heading down rural roads in search of food and valuables to steal.
In the summer of 1977, New York City experienced a blackout lasting more than 24 hours. In the wake of the power outage, chaos ensued, and when the lights finally returned, broken windows and streets littered with trash greeted the returning residents. Had the outage lasted just a few more days, the city’s looting gangs would have taken everything of value and vanished.
The opportunists, having pillaged the cities, would soon set their sights on the rural communities, just like locusts swarming to consume all in their path. However, in America, these marauders may find that they have taken on more than they can handle.
3. The Impact on the Human Electromagnetic Field
While human bodies do not have electronic parts, they are still influenced by the Earth’s magnetic field. A subtle electromagnetic aura surrounds each individual, with the nervous system transmitting signals through electrical impulses. A 2014 scientific study suggested that geomagnetic storms could increase the risk of stroke, but the consequences of a major solar storm on the human body could go far beyond that.
Many ancient cultures have suggested that a massive solar event could propel humanity into a higher state of consciousness. These cultures often refer to such an event as a 'solar flash,' predicting that those who survive will unlock the hidden mysteries of the mind, including abilities like telepathy, psychokinesis, and levitation on a grand scale.
2. A Societal Reset
Rebuilding the American energy grid after a major catastrophe could cost up to $2 trillion. However, the broader social costs of a global power outage are nearly impossible to measure or imagine.
Without the guiding hand of the media to tell us what to do, the money to keep us tethered, and the comforts to keep us complacent, society would crumble at an alarming pace. The strong would endure, while the weak would be left behind. Those fortunate enough to survive would be forever transformed by the ordeal.
If the chaotic structure of our world were to collapse, those who remained would be unable to return to their former way of life, even if it were somehow restored. They would be prepared for a new beginning.
After the devastation, hidden truths could be exposed. Suppressed technologies might be brought to light. The survivors of humanity would unite, reshaped by the shared experience of witnessing the end of the world as they knew it.
1. Global Loss of Critical Data
Over time, more and more of our knowledge has been stored digitally. In the past, researchers had to sift through libraries or visit sources in person to gather the information they sought. Today, we rely on the Internet as an all-encompassing archive of everything worth knowing.
ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, was conceived to withstand the widespread devastation of a nuclear war. However, the creators of this basic packet-switching network could never have foreseen the vast evolution of today’s Internet. Once a military-controlled system transferring only small amounts of data, it has now expanded into a complex network primarily under the control of a wide range of private companies and nonprofit organizations.
A massive CME wouldn't only take down millions of phone and cable lines that transport Internet signals, but a powerful solar storm could also destroy critical servers in data centers. For example, if servers hosting websites like Google or Wikipedia were destroyed, reconnecting to the Internet after such a prolonged blackout would provide little relief.
While physical records of humanity's knowledge still exist, it wouldn't take long for books to be repurposed as firewood rather than sources of wisdom if a power outage extended past a week. If a sufficiently powerful CME struck the Earth, the entire history of humankind could potentially be wiped out.
