EMP (Electromagnetic pulse)

[church mouse guy]

Paul Singer, billionaire, says that the greatest threat to the world today is an electromagnetic pulse.

"(A natural EMP event) today would cause a massive disruption to the electric grid, possibly shutting it down entirely for months or longer, with unimaginable consequences," Singer wrote. "Only two years ago, the sun let loose with a Carrington-magnitude burst, but the position of the earth at the time prevented the burst from hitting it. The chances of additional events of such magnitude may be far greater than most people think."

Carrington refers to a solar storm in 1859 that caused telegraph systems to fail around the world.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101875747

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

I don't know about "the greatest threat to the world today" but it is a concern based on solid science. A terrorist group could disrupt power distribution using a nuclear weapon to that purpose, and either China, Russia or other nuclear power with a long-range missile could utterly devastate the U.S. by setting one off in the high atmosphere, if the bomb were big enough.

 

[just-want-peace]

Anything that does not use electricity AT ALL, would be safe.
Just exactly what does that include??? Rakes, shovels, hammers-----?!
Think of all the pacemakers that would go kerflooy!

Can you think of anything else that would set us back a minimum of 2 centuries as effectively as a massive solar flare.

Good book on this precise topic - SOLAR FLARE - by Larry Burkett.

Along this line of thinking, I read a science fiction tale some years ago of the ULTIMATE weapon, a bomb.

It didn't harm plants, animals, humans or destroy property or buildings. However, it brought enemy nations to their knees. --------

All it did was completely destroy PAPER!!!!!

 

[InTheLight]

Any electronics with vacuum tubes or older transistors would probably still work. Lots of electronics from the 50's and early - mid 60's would not be affected. The problem with this old stuff would be dried up capacitors and other aged components that would be out of their tolerance specs.

Most cars pre-1968 would still run (didn't have electronic ignition yet.)

An EMP would be a disaster but it wouldn't be the end of the world. More like a return to 1965.