Solar storms: how they are formed and how vulnerable we are
Solar storms could stop Earth's electric pulse, snuff its lights out and shut down the internet. In 2013 the Sun would spew more fire at us
In an address to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC, Holdren and Beddington outlined major solar storm events from the past. "In 1921, space weather wiped out communications and generated fires in the northeastern United States. In March 1989, a geomagnetic storm caused Canada's Hydro-Quebec power grid to collapse within 90 seconds, leaving millions of people in darkness for up to nine hours. In 2003, two intense storms travelled from the Sun to Earth in just 19 hours, causing a blackout in Sweden and affecting satellites, broadcast communications, airlines and navigation."
A study by the Metatech Corporation in 2008 showed that a repeat of the 1921 solar storm today would affect more than 130 million people with sudden and lasting ramifications across the US, according to Holdren and Beddington. They added that a recent report by insurance market Lloyd's of London stated that "a loss of power could lead to a cascade of operational failures that could leave society and the global economy severely disabled."