Could Solar Storms Destroy Civilization? Solar Flares & Coronal Mass Ejections

Summary by Krater

This video explains solar storms, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), how they affect Earth, and how we can protect our electrical infrastructure against them.

From the video

Answers: What are solar storms and how do they affect Earth?

• Solar storms
• Coronal mass ejections
• Solar flares
• Geomagnetic storms
• Space weather
• Power grid vulnerability
• The Carrington Event

What it concludes

• Space weather is generally harmless to humans on Earth due to our atmosphere and magnetic field.
• A severe geomagnetic storm can induce currents in power grids that disrupt transformers and cause widespread blackouts.
• The Carrington Event in 1859 was the largest geomagnetic storm observed, causing widespread telegraph system failures.
• A 2012 solar storm missed Earth by a small margin, but had it hit, it could have caused up to $2.6 trillion in damage to US electronics.
• The probability of a severe solar storm hitting Earth is estimated at 12% per decade, or roughly a 50-50 chance in the next 50 years.
• We can protect our electric grid against solar storms by taking transformers offline, building extra lines, and making targeted investments.