02-08-2017, 02:28 PM
(02-08-2017, 02:08 PM)Cirocco Wrote: A lack of mid-level (C class) solar flares diminishes the thickness of the lithosphere and causes a sort of atmospheric compression effect that condenses and magnifies any weather on the surface. You're talking about a solar 'kill-shot', which is possible, but it's more likely that people will succumb to overexposure and/or other weather-related causes. Monsanto is already capitalizing on this global event by developing GMO's since outdoor gardening will become extremely difficult if not impossible and I'd be willing to bet that utility rates will rise dramatically since we, the people, will have no choice but to either pay or die.
OK, but we're back to "you're talking about things that haven't happened before." As I understand it, the sun goes through these periods of high and low solar flare activity all the time. There's very little evidence of them causing truly catastrophic weather, even during the proverbial low tides. And even if such terrible weather conditions happened, it would be hard to predict what the overall economic effects would be in the modern age, since it would be a very complicated combination of forces. Not all utilities are privatized, just for starters. And even those which are private couldn't squeeze people TOO hard, or they'd risk violence, governmental regulations, and\or nationalization, depending on local political leanings.
When it comes down to it, modern society really has never had to deal with a truly serious weather event on the scale of the Little Ice Age or something like that. There's really no telling how it would play out. Sure, there would undoubtedly be SOME opportunists trying to take advantage of the chaos, but there would still also be plenty of forces for order trying to keep damage and instability to a minimum.
After all, those utility companies also don't get paid if society grinds to a halt.