It all starts with a question that says: can you imagine a world without the internet? Well, this possibility becomes viable with recent forecasts from experts from different parts of the world.
As it happened several decades ago, the Carrington Event of 1859 is remembered as one of the most powerful solar storms in history, having a significant impact on the telegraph systems of Europe and America.
The possibility of an event of equal or greater magnitude occurring in the near future, specifically in 2025, has generated concern among experts, who warn about the potential repercussions on the current technological infrastructure, which could lead to a catastrophic scenario known as the “Internet Apocalypse.”
According to researcher Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi of the University of California, This event illustrates the bleak future that humanity would face with a massive internet crash.
The most affected sectors would be those that critically depend on online connectivity, such as banking and GPS navigation systems.. According to some estimates, the economic losses from such an event could reach $11 billion, signaling the magnitude of the global financial impact.
Technology has become an essential pillar of our society, to the point that a significant disruption would not only affect communications and navigation, but would also have severe implications on all facets of modern life.
Therefore, researchers like Abdu Jyothi They emphasize the need to prepare for these eventsencouraging the creation and adoption of more resilient systems and preventive strategies.
NASA’s Parker mission, dedicated to study of solar winds and associated phenomenaplays a crucial role in providing a deeper understanding about these solar storms.
However, despite scientific advances, the human ability to foresee these events remains limitedwith an alarm margin of just 17 hours between the detection of a solar flare and its arrival on Earth.
Likewise, through missions like this, progress continues in the study and understanding of solar storms, in an effort to improve response and preparedness capacity. However, awareness of the seriousness and potential impact of these phenomena is essential.
Also, only through investment in technological research and development can we strengthen our infrastructure and avoid the devastating consequences of a possible Internet Apocalypse.
A precedent that highlights the possible consequences of these events is found in 1989 in Quebec, Canada. A solar flare caused a blackout that left the city without electricity for hours, evidencing the vulnerability of our electrical grids to these space storms.
This incident reinforces the urgency of developing effective mitigation strategies, which various international projects seem to be trying to mitigate.
For these reasons, as we move towards an increasingly digitalized future with the majority of banking and private data stored on the webpreparation for events such as solar storms becomes critically important.
It is imperative that both institutions and society in general become aware of the vulnerability of technological networks and work together to develop and apply effective protection measures.
International collaboration, continuous research and the implementation of advanced technologies represent the best allies against natural and artificial threats, which may also arise. that could trigger unprecedented disruption in the information age.
