Non Food Needs if Industry is Disabled
- M. Abdelkhaliq, D. C. Denkenberger, D. D. Cole, M. Griswold, J. M. Pearce
Summary
Modern industry depends on electricity. There are a number of catastrophic risks which could cause global electrical failure, and thereby disable much of modern industry. Although feeding the global population is the biggest challenge, there are other needs which would need to be addressed, including water/sanitation, clothing/shelter, medicine/health, and transportation. Abdelkhaliq et al. (2016) finds that the nonfood needs could be met for nearly everyone in the short and medium term.
Abstract
A number of risks could cause global electrical failure, including a series of high-altitude electromagnetic pulses (HEMPs) caused by nuclear weapons, an extreme solar storm, and a coordinated computer virus attack. Since modern industry depends on electricity, it is likely that much industry and machines would grind to a halt. The most challenging need to be met in these scenarios is likely to be food, and this is analyzed elsewhere in this conference. However, without industry, food cannot easily be shipped around the world, so one method to maintain the human population without electricity in an emergency is relocating people to the food sources. We find that this is possible even in the worst-case scenario by retrofitting ships to be wind powered. We also discuss solutions for non-industry inland transportation, water supply and treatment, and heating of buildings. We find that the nonfood needs could be met for nearly everyone in the short and medium term.