"Basically, there is a 100% probability that our sun, generating what they call a GMD, which is a solar storm, that hits hard, hits our Earth, and the magnetic field we have around the Earth, and can fry everything that is electric above the ground, including our entire grid," actor Dannis Quaid explained to Tucker Carlson in one of the former Fox anchor's most surreal yet terrifying interviews yet.
Scared yet? You should be.
Accomplished actor and musician Quaid shares insights on his upcoming documentary titled "Grid Down, Power Up", highlighting the inevitability of a massive solar storm (a Carrington event such as occurred in 1859) impacting Earth in catastrophic ways.
At the time, Quaid notes, the GMD (geomagnetic disturbance) devastated the then-existing telegraph system, and asks Carlson to consider the potential magnitude of such a disaster in today's electrically-dependent society. He notes:
"imagine what that would do now with a very large storm... it would take out not only the electricity but all of our infrastructure," the actor exclaims, adding that:
“There wouldn’t be water in your tap. You couldn’t get gas for your car because the whole system is broken down."
Quaid hopes that by bringing attention to the potential catastrophe he can nudge politicians into action to harden the grid against such events (natural or terrorist-driven)...
"It's something we don't like to think about but it's... whether from the Sun or a bad actor this is something that 100% chance it's going to happen and we are just no nowhere no way prepared for it." ;
...although he is not optimistic given the challenges posed by regulatory agencies and the private ownership of power companies.
"President Trump actually signed an executive order to harden our grid to protect ourselves against an event like this happening. Obama tried to get that going as well and it's stuck in these Regulatory Agencies."
And if we don't do something about it, basically all the worst bits from the bible...
“Everything that we rely upon would be gone. The food would melt in our refrigerators..." Quaid states, warning that "within a year, 90% of the world’s population would be dead from starvation, disease, or killing themselves in total and utter social catastrophe."
He concludes the interview with thoughts on American democracy and the need for balanced political discourse, advocating for education about the values that make us a nation and urging for cooler heads to prevail in politics.
Watch the full interview here (from behind a pillow)...
