Can you imagine how you’d exist in a world without any electricity? Consider the following scenario: you walk outside one morning, and realize you’ve overslept because your alarm didn’t go off. In fact, your alarm wasn’t even on, because there doesn’t seem to be power in your neighborhood. But something else is amiss here; there’s a deadly silence in the air. You realize there are no sounds of horns honking or the steady hum of traffic on the roadways nearby… just the distant chattering of frantic voices. You go back inside to call a friend, or a family member, just anyone… but your cell phone won’t turn on either.
If this were you, would you have begun to feel the creeping panic of knowing that the entire world had apparently been shut off, as simply as switching a great master switch? The really frightening thing about this scenario, however, is that it could actually happen.
I’ve harped on this for months now: the notion that catastrophic solar activity, expected to begin increasing by 2013, could endanger not only our electrical infrastructure, but could also potentially threaten existence as we know it. Sure, this might sound like an extreme position to be taking, especially since there are studies that show that many of the harmful effects of EMP–that is, electromagnetic pulse attacks that could occur either as a result of acts of war, terrorism, or those which could occur naturally via the sun–may not completely cripple civilization as we know it. But is this a risk we can safely take?
An Associated Press article recently discussed the potential risks associated with solar storms and their resulting EMP effects, quoting NOAA Assistant Secretary Kathryn Sullivan, who warned that by 2013 Earth could be seeing major climatic changes. Other sources have warned that this could be the case, with the effects ranging from power outages in scattered areas for periods of a few weeks, to even potential lock-downs of the electrical grid spanning most of the world. Over a period of just weeks, in the absence of electricity to furnish refrigeration, power to pump gasoline into cars (at least those vehicles which didn’t contain fragile computer circuitry that may have been compromised), and the ability to communicate with loved ones over distances, the world as we know it could change drastically. Would you be prepared, in the event that such a catastrophe did take place?
At present, it is still a matter of debate whether the harmful effects of EMP–either solar or manmade–could elicit the sorts of doomsday scenarios outlined here. However, history has shown that such things could have occurred in the past, specifically in the days before electricity was in use. Even ancient societies seemed to have known of the Sun’s potential ferocity; perhaps this is why a god of war like Apollo (hence my reference to an “Apollic Apocalypse” in the title of this posting) was to be dubbed a sun-god in later literary sources. But for the here-and-now, the best way to cope with the potential threat today is to learn about it, and prepare for disasters of any kind to the best of our ability. Knowing the recent history of response time to disasters (think about FEMA in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina), it may be up to civilians to aid in recovery should anything as tremendous as some of the proposed “EMP Apocalypse” scenarios occur.
For more information, you can visit any of the following links:
Electromagnetic Pulse at Wikipedia
NASA keeping a wary eye on space weather
William R. Forstchen’s book One Second After
Solar storm image courtesy of NASA.
by 
No in the least. Furthermore, I don’t even know if I would like to survive in such a world :-/
But consider another ‘end of the world’ scenario brought upon by some weird EMP phenomenon sparked by our fickle star: the awakening of dormant telepathic abilities in every human being on the planet.
Imagine it: a world without secrets. Which is something Dr. Michael Persinger explores in this video presentation.
Sunspot cycles (up and down in number) have occurred every 11 years for billions of years. The current cycle is, in fact, slightly below normal in number. A (correct term) coronal solar mass ejection is common but one of the intensity to reach earth with earth being the size of a pea at 500 miles to the sun the mathematical probability of such an event is at least a billion to one. NOT on my my “worry list”. What IS on my worry list is the probability (per FEMA) of a terrorist group setting off a manmade EMP “bomb” on or above earth causing the damage as described within the next decade is almost 100%. The technology is simple and electrical parts easy to buy (NOT classified!). Tesla did it in 1899 in Colorado! EMP is the #1 most probable WMD we face. I am a retired electronics engineer who studied EMP for 35 years. Manmade EMP is a grave danger!
I might add my book Infinite Dangers – Amazon Kindle and http://www.infinitedangers.com (PDF format) covers EMP in depth including how best to protect electronic and electrical equipment from damage from a VERY brief (microsecond) but VERY intense (billion plus measured in volts) electomagnetic pulse (EMP).
Gary,
I’m right there with you on threats associated with man-made EMP. While in the article above I’m primarily quoting sources such as NASA and NOAA, which have both expressed similar concerns about solar-EMP, it’s obviously questionable whether devastation could occur to a large scale, even if a massive solar storm occurred. However, we know the effects of EMP associated with nuclear devices detonated in space, since there are plenty of instances that dealt with measuring the effects of EMP in such a way (Operation Fishbowl, with the contained Operations Dominique and Starfish Prime, respectively… in addition to subsequent tests by the Russians that all took place during the Cold War years). In my opinion, this is one of the country’s greatest threats, and if anyone would like an idea as to what exactly might occur (worst case scenario) should such an attack ever be launched, I recommend my friend William Forstchen’s book One Second After.
Speaking of books, I plan to buy yours, Gary. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!