No one would think that the downfall of humanity would be technology. This is not a man versus machine scenario. The technology itself won’t be what finishes us; all it will take is a solar flare or a shift in the magnetic poles, and we’ll have no way of communicating or lending help to those who need it so desperately.
It starts off small, like with the switch to chromebooks, and a internet router for each classroom, in our very own school. Picture this: textbooks are neglected and forgotten, and their production slows until it eventually stops altogether. Citywide or nationwide wifi is put into place, our dependency on technology grows, if even possible. Now all it will take is one catastrophic event to take place, and life as we know it will be over. Internet and phone lines can go down in an instant. Although usually we can have them back up and running within a few days. However, with a solar flare, the devastation would be so large scale, it would take years to fall back into normalcy.
On July 23, 2012, our planet as well as our lives were almost so shaken up, we would still be recovering from the aftermath. A massive solar storm just barely missed Earth, and it was one of the most massive solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) of debris to have ever been recorded.
A solar storm is a generic term for increased activity in the sun. Magnetic fluctuations interfere with radio and communication signals, so if the 2012 solar flare would have occurred, communication would be just about impossible. In addition to communication problems, we would be bathed in radiation for quite a while and cancer would increase.
Things like this would happen as well if there was a shift in gravity or if the magnetic poles reversed, in which case the magnetic field may disappear completely. This would cause mass amounts of radiation.
With the first scenario, the moon would move closer, causing low tides to be lower and high tides to be higher, so any low lying coastlines would be completely flooded. Cities like London and New York City would be under the ocean. Luckily, events like these aren’t as likely. Works of fiction like the post apocalyptic novel by Susan Beth Pfeffer Life As We Knew It and the Nicholas Cage Movie Knowing both feature these catastrophic events.
Even with the horrifying circumstances, there are ways to prevent or minimize the aftereffects of a solar flare. An effective method would be to overhaul the power grid system with a smart grid that isn’t operating so close to capacity. A shielding would need to be developed to protect the electrical infrastructure from those infamous magnetic fluctuations. Basically, some serious investments need to be made if we don’t want to be knocked back to the stone ages in the blink of an eye.
A smart grid would also help with preventing day to day casualties like blackouts from thunderstorms or snowstorms, not to mention how much it would relieve the aftermath of a solar flare, big or small. Most of the equipment for the U.S power grid dates back to the 70’s and doesn’t track disturbances, and according to Scientific American, every node of the power grid should be in communication with every other node.
The U.S. power grid is an interwoven mesh of three different grids: the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection, and the Texas Interconnection. There are over 450,000 miles of high voltage power lines and 160,000 overhead transmission lines running throughout the U.S. Each and every line connects electrical power plants to homes and businesses everywhere. Electricity can’t be stored or saved so it is produced as it’s used. When that power moves through a wire, some of it is wasted in the form of heat and the loss is proportional to the amount carried, so utilities keep the current low and compensate by raising the voltage. Because a grid is a network of synchronized and interconnected power providers and consumers, it’s obvious why in the event of a solar flare, power all over the U.S. would be out in a moment.
The 476 billion dollar power grid would be a smart, self healing one which is aware of emerging trouble and can reconfigure itself to resolve problems. This type of grid would reduce blackouts and save millions of dollars during routine operations. Smart grid initiatives seek to improve operations, maintenance, and planning. They plan on this by automating operations and ensuring that components of the grid can communicate with each other as needed.
Luckily for us, there are allegedly some plans by the U.S. federal government to invest in a smart grid that employs digital technology to more efficiently managed energy sources. Developing a smart grid isn’t the only way to minimize the casualties of a solar flare, decreasing our dependency on technology would be great in general. Technology is meant to improve our quality of life but in truth it is diminishing it. Some examples? Paying hundreds of dollars to go to your idol’s concert and watching it through your phone screen. The constant invasions of privacy and disrespect from others online. There is no way to avoid technology, and we will probably never stop finding more technological advances. Instead of going cold turkey or letting ourselves spiral into a self inflicted doom, we ought to use our powers for good. Use the technology we have to build a smarter power grid, find new breakthroughs and cures, share your ideas and suggestions, make the world a better place.
