1 00:00:06,966 --> 00:00:09,927 [ominous music] 2 00:00:09,969 --> 00:00:13,890 * * 3 00:00:13,931 --> 00:00:15,767 - Greetings, Bill Nye here, 4 00:00:15,808 --> 00:00:20,646 coming to you from aboard the International Space Station. 5 00:00:20,688 --> 00:00:23,399 Looks like a peaceful night on our planet. 6 00:00:23,441 --> 00:00:25,693 Those city lights are the electric glow 7 00:00:25,735 --> 00:00:29,489 of billions of people working, playing, celebrating, 8 00:00:29,530 --> 00:00:31,783 or just relaxing in front of the TV 9 00:00:31,824 --> 00:00:36,412 enjoying a fun but terrifying science program. 10 00:00:36,454 --> 00:00:39,207 Little do they know a solar shock wave 11 00:00:39,248 --> 00:00:40,750 is heading toward Earth, and it will 12 00:00:40,792 --> 00:00:43,628 plunge our world into permanent darkness 13 00:00:43,669 --> 00:00:48,257 and total chaos. 14 00:00:48,299 --> 00:00:50,885 [alarms blaring] 15 00:00:50,927 --> 00:00:54,806 After tonight our civilization will not be the same, 16 00:00:54,847 --> 00:00:59,811 not for a very long time, maybe not ever. 17 00:00:59,852 --> 00:01:06,818 * * 18 00:01:16,119 --> 00:01:19,080 [dramatic music] 19 00:01:19,122 --> 00:01:26,212 * * 20 00:01:38,266 --> 00:01:40,893 [cow lowing] 21 00:01:47,525 --> 00:01:51,279 Welcome again, my friends, to the Disaster Institute, 22 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,824 a museum of catastrophic events that have happened 23 00:01:54,866 --> 00:02:00,204 in the past, are happening now, or could happen at any moment. 24 00:02:00,246 --> 00:02:03,291 These might seem like nightmares or scenes 25 00:02:03,332 --> 00:02:06,627 from scary movies, but they're all too real. 26 00:02:06,669 --> 00:02:08,796 They're possible outcomes that we may soon 27 00:02:08,838 --> 00:02:12,508 have to deal with if we are unlucky or foolish 28 00:02:12,550 --> 00:02:14,093 or both. 29 00:02:14,135 --> 00:02:15,595 This time we're here to witness 30 00:02:15,636 --> 00:02:19,849 the event that could end our technological civilization, 31 00:02:19,891 --> 00:02:23,686 a solar flare from our Sun that has the power 32 00:02:23,728 --> 00:02:26,606 to short-circuit our way of life. 33 00:02:26,647 --> 00:02:28,524 This is not a could happen. 34 00:02:28,566 --> 00:02:30,193 It's a will happen. 35 00:02:30,234 --> 00:02:32,445 It's a warning to us all. 36 00:02:32,487 --> 00:02:36,199 Sometimes things really do go bump in the night. 37 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,409 And some nights never end. 38 00:02:38,451 --> 00:02:42,413 [thunder booming] 39 00:02:46,751 --> 00:02:49,545 Zeus, the mightiest and most dangerous 40 00:02:49,587 --> 00:02:51,130 of all the Greek gods. 41 00:02:51,172 --> 00:02:53,841 He wielded the power of lightning 42 00:02:53,883 --> 00:02:57,887 to cut down any human arrogant enough to challenge him. 43 00:02:57,929 --> 00:03:02,100 [thunder booming] 44 00:03:02,141 --> 00:03:07,063 - [grunting] 45 00:03:07,105 --> 00:03:09,565 - The ancient Greeks were drawing on an even more 46 00:03:09,607 --> 00:03:11,859 ancient fear of electricity. 47 00:03:11,901 --> 00:03:14,612 You can hardly blame our ancestor, Kor. 48 00:03:14,654 --> 00:03:18,282 For most of history, we were at the mercy of nature. 49 00:03:18,324 --> 00:03:20,827 During big storms, volts of electricity 50 00:03:20,868 --> 00:03:23,746 would strike out unpredictably from the clouds, 51 00:03:23,788 --> 00:03:26,332 and all we could do is scurry out of the way. 52 00:03:26,374 --> 00:03:28,126 [thunder booming] 53 00:03:28,167 --> 00:03:31,379 - [grunting] 54 00:03:34,006 --> 00:03:35,258 - Sorry, old friend. 55 00:03:35,299 --> 00:03:36,843 Just lie low. 56 00:03:36,884 --> 00:03:37,927 You'll be OK. 57 00:03:40,138 --> 00:03:44,142 Every early culture associated lightning with a god. 58 00:03:44,183 --> 00:03:46,561 The Hindus had Indra. 59 00:03:46,602 --> 00:03:49,856 The Aztecs had Tlaloc. 60 00:03:49,897 --> 00:03:52,567 The Norse had Thor long before 61 00:03:52,608 --> 00:03:54,902 he was a hammer-holding hottie. 62 00:03:54,944 --> 00:03:57,280 In each case, the story we told ourselves 63 00:03:57,321 --> 00:04:02,785 was the same: electricity was a power beyond human control. 64 00:04:02,827 --> 00:04:04,412 Until it wasn't. 65 00:04:04,454 --> 00:04:07,915 In 1752 Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod 66 00:04:07,957 --> 00:04:10,835 made our buildings safe from electrical attack. 67 00:04:10,877 --> 00:04:15,048 In 1820 a Danish scientist named Hans Christian Oersted 68 00:04:15,089 --> 00:04:19,469 discovered that electricity can create magnetism. 69 00:04:19,510 --> 00:04:22,096 A decade later the brilliant Michael Faraday, 70 00:04:22,138 --> 00:04:25,308 a personal hero of mine, realized the process 71 00:04:25,349 --> 00:04:27,310 goes the other way too. 72 00:04:27,351 --> 00:04:29,896 Magnetism can make electricity. 73 00:04:29,937 --> 00:04:32,148 He soon put that idea into action 74 00:04:32,190 --> 00:04:35,359 and built the world's first electric generator, 75 00:04:35,401 --> 00:04:38,321 lightning on command. 76 00:04:38,362 --> 00:04:39,781 From there it was a short journey 77 00:04:39,822 --> 00:04:41,824 to Edison and his light bulb. 78 00:04:41,866 --> 00:04:44,702 It's a story with a glorious beginning. 79 00:04:44,744 --> 00:04:48,539 The question is, how will it end? 80 00:04:52,293 --> 00:04:54,587 Electricity runs so much of our lives 81 00:04:54,629 --> 00:04:56,672 that we've stopped noticing it. 82 00:04:56,714 --> 00:05:00,134 We use our god-like electric power to build and sustain 83 00:05:00,176 --> 00:05:01,844 our modern civilization. 84 00:05:01,886 --> 00:05:04,722 But have we done enough to protect it? 85 00:05:04,764 --> 00:05:07,892 [suspenseful music] 86 00:05:07,934 --> 00:05:11,562 * * 87 00:05:11,604 --> 00:05:14,524 If I may coin a phrase, with great power 88 00:05:14,565 --> 00:05:16,901 comes great vulnerability. 89 00:05:20,988 --> 00:05:23,991 To see how our electric world comes to an end, 90 00:05:24,033 --> 00:05:26,786 we'll take a ride on the Disaster Simulator 91 00:05:26,828 --> 00:05:31,707 to experience it firsthand from three points of view, 92 00:05:31,749 --> 00:05:34,001 an astronaut, trapped in orbit, 93 00:05:34,043 --> 00:05:36,963 cut off from everyone she knows and loves, 94 00:05:37,004 --> 00:05:40,925 her father, lost in the dead of endless night, 95 00:05:40,967 --> 00:05:45,096 and a scientist who sees doom in the sunlight. 96 00:05:47,557 --> 00:05:51,060 The source of our vulnerability hangs in the sky above us. 97 00:05:51,102 --> 00:05:53,688 The Sun gives us vital light and heat, 98 00:05:53,730 --> 00:05:56,649 but it also produces its own kind of lightning. 99 00:05:56,691 --> 00:05:59,402 Sometimes the Sun shoots out huge flares 100 00:05:59,444 --> 00:06:00,945 of charged particles. 101 00:06:00,987 --> 00:06:04,741 Those flares carry jolts of electricity and magnetism 102 00:06:04,782 --> 00:06:08,911 billions of times more powerful than any storm on Earth. 103 00:06:08,953 --> 00:06:12,540 If a giant solar storm were to hit our planet head-on, 104 00:06:12,582 --> 00:06:15,376 could our technology handle it? 105 00:06:15,418 --> 00:06:18,212 This is when we find out just how fragile 106 00:06:18,254 --> 00:06:20,631 our civilization really is. 107 00:06:20,673 --> 00:06:25,261 * * 108 00:06:25,303 --> 00:06:28,931 Our story begins here in the not-too-distant future 109 00:06:28,973 --> 00:06:32,977 on the surface of our home star. 110 00:06:33,019 --> 00:06:36,773 A solar flare is erupting on the Sun, and it is huge, 111 00:06:36,814 --> 00:06:38,900 as wide as a dozen Earths. 112 00:06:38,941 --> 00:06:43,196 It has more energy than a billion megatons of TNT. 113 00:06:43,237 --> 00:06:48,076 * * 114 00:06:48,117 --> 00:06:50,828 This astronaut is the first human to see 115 00:06:50,870 --> 00:06:53,164 the flare with her own eyes. 116 00:06:53,206 --> 00:06:54,624 Impressive. 117 00:06:54,665 --> 00:06:57,919 But most flares pose no danger. 118 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,255 She decides to check in with her father. 119 00:07:04,050 --> 00:07:07,887 - How about, when I get back, we'll go for ice cream? 120 00:07:07,929 --> 00:07:11,307 - She'll be home soon, she tells him. 121 00:07:11,349 --> 00:07:14,018 They'll take a walk in their favorite park. 122 00:07:14,060 --> 00:07:15,478 - They have me working, so I got to go back. 123 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,147 - What neither of them know is that the effects 124 00:07:18,189 --> 00:07:20,858 of this solar flare are about to change 125 00:07:20,900 --> 00:07:22,777 life on Earth forever. 126 00:07:22,819 --> 00:07:24,153 - I miss you so much. 127 00:07:26,364 --> 00:07:29,367 - Scientists at the Space Weather Prediction Center 128 00:07:29,409 --> 00:07:32,995 in Boulder, Colorado, run an early warning system 129 00:07:33,037 --> 00:07:34,747 that tells us if something dangerous 130 00:07:34,789 --> 00:07:36,416 is happening on the Sun. 131 00:07:36,457 --> 00:07:39,752 They see the flare too, and in a lot more detail. 132 00:07:39,794 --> 00:07:42,797 Minor solar eruptions happen all the time. 133 00:07:42,839 --> 00:07:44,257 Most are harmless. 134 00:07:44,298 --> 00:07:46,342 Sometimes they disrupt satellites, 135 00:07:46,384 --> 00:07:48,720 nothing too serious. 136 00:07:48,761 --> 00:07:50,763 But there is nothing minor about what's 137 00:07:50,805 --> 00:07:52,140 happening right now. 138 00:07:52,181 --> 00:07:56,686 This latest eruption on the Sun appears huge, 139 00:07:56,728 --> 00:07:59,313 what they're calling a potential super flare. 140 00:07:59,355 --> 00:08:02,024 I'm not talking about pants from the 1970s. 141 00:08:02,066 --> 00:08:04,444 This could be an even bigger disaster. 142 00:08:04,485 --> 00:08:10,450 [solar flare roaring] 143 00:08:10,491 --> 00:08:13,619 When a solar flare erupts, it emits a shock wave 144 00:08:13,661 --> 00:08:15,955 of charged particles into space, 145 00:08:15,997 --> 00:08:19,208 a coronal mass ejection. 146 00:08:19,250 --> 00:08:22,170 [solar flare roaring] 147 00:08:26,674 --> 00:08:28,843 If this shock wave were to strike Earth 148 00:08:28,885 --> 00:08:31,929 it could cause a global power blackout. 149 00:08:31,971 --> 00:08:35,099 Our solar physicist wants to issue an early warning 150 00:08:35,141 --> 00:08:37,018 to the world's power grid operators 151 00:08:37,060 --> 00:08:38,770 so they can prevent blackouts. 152 00:08:38,811 --> 00:08:41,147 - We need to issue a warning about this system. 153 00:08:41,189 --> 00:08:43,357 - But her colleagues think she's-- 154 00:08:43,399 --> 00:08:45,693 say it with me--overreacting. 155 00:08:45,735 --> 00:08:48,237 The shock wave will most likely miss us. 156 00:08:48,279 --> 00:08:49,822 Most of them do. 157 00:08:49,864 --> 00:08:52,325 But we are playing a life-and-death game 158 00:08:52,366 --> 00:08:55,244 of dodgeball with the Sun. 159 00:08:55,286 --> 00:08:58,247 [foreboding music] 160 00:08:58,289 --> 00:09:05,213 * * 161 00:09:09,634 --> 00:09:13,763 [siren wailing] 162 00:09:13,805 --> 00:09:15,765 We've played this game before. 163 00:09:15,807 --> 00:09:18,017 But so far, we've been lucky. 164 00:09:18,059 --> 00:09:20,853 In 1989 a coronal mass ejection 165 00:09:20,895 --> 00:09:23,648 knocked out power to more than 6 million people 166 00:09:23,689 --> 00:09:27,610 in the U.S. and Canada. 167 00:09:27,652 --> 00:09:30,530 In 2012 an even bigger CME 168 00:09:30,571 --> 00:09:33,282 missed the Earth by just nine days. 169 00:09:33,324 --> 00:09:37,203 But the last monster coronal mass ejection to hit Earth 170 00:09:37,245 --> 00:09:41,749 was the so-called Carrington Event in 1859. 171 00:09:43,209 --> 00:09:45,628 Back then the most advanced electrical technology 172 00:09:45,670 --> 00:09:47,630 was the telegraph. 173 00:09:47,672 --> 00:09:51,718 Sparks shot out of telegraph wires and even started fires. 174 00:09:51,759 --> 00:09:53,970 There wasn't much damage, because there wasn't much 175 00:09:54,011 --> 00:09:56,723 electrical infrastructure to damage. 176 00:09:56,764 --> 00:10:00,601 Today it is a whole nother story. 177 00:10:00,643 --> 00:10:02,645 Whew. 178 00:10:02,687 --> 00:10:05,815 [solar flare roaring] 179 00:10:17,326 --> 00:10:20,455 [solar flare roaring] 180 00:10:25,585 --> 00:10:28,504 [ominous music] 181 00:10:28,546 --> 00:10:30,590 * * 182 00:10:30,631 --> 00:10:34,135 - You need to get as much heart meds as you possibly can, OK? 183 00:10:34,177 --> 00:10:35,845 And stay where you are. 184 00:10:35,887 --> 00:10:37,305 I will come for you. 185 00:10:37,346 --> 00:10:39,515 [static crackling] 186 00:10:39,557 --> 00:10:41,267 Listen carefully. 187 00:10:41,309 --> 00:10:45,396 There is a serious solar flare coming your way. 188 00:10:45,438 --> 00:10:50,193 I promise I will come for you, OK? 189 00:10:52,737 --> 00:10:54,655 - Unfortunately, most people don't have 190 00:10:54,697 --> 00:10:57,867 an astronaut orbiting overhead looking out for them. 191 00:10:57,909 --> 00:10:59,827 For average folks, the situation is 192 00:10:59,869 --> 00:11:01,954 a big old ball of confusion. 193 00:11:01,996 --> 00:11:03,164 We're in the path of a coronal... 194 00:11:03,206 --> 00:11:04,624 what did they call it? 195 00:11:04,665 --> 00:11:07,835 Conspiracy theories are all over the internet. 196 00:11:07,877 --> 00:11:10,421 And the news is nonstop doom. 197 00:11:10,463 --> 00:11:12,131 Most people don't even fully understand 198 00:11:12,173 --> 00:11:13,549 what they're preparing for. 199 00:11:13,591 --> 00:11:16,552 World leaders are failing to talk clearly 200 00:11:16,594 --> 00:11:20,056 to the public about the science of what's happening. 201 00:11:20,098 --> 00:11:23,184 I mean, can you imagine? 202 00:11:23,226 --> 00:11:26,354 [solar flare roaring] 203 00:11:32,735 --> 00:11:35,238 We are in one of the power grid operation centers 204 00:11:35,279 --> 00:11:36,823 in North America. 205 00:11:36,864 --> 00:11:39,367 We take you to the coolest places, don't we? 206 00:11:39,409 --> 00:11:41,536 Like the Space Weather Prediction Center, 207 00:11:41,577 --> 00:11:43,788 this is part of the hidden infrastructure 208 00:11:43,830 --> 00:11:45,206 you never knew you needed. 209 00:11:45,248 --> 00:11:47,875 Here technicians work around the clock 210 00:11:47,917 --> 00:11:49,460 to keep the lights on. 211 00:11:49,502 --> 00:11:52,213 They are the guardians of the electrical grid, 212 00:11:52,255 --> 00:11:54,549 and their number one priority is keeping 213 00:11:54,590 --> 00:11:57,093 the flow of our electricity in our power lines 214 00:11:57,135 --> 00:11:59,679 balanced and steady. 215 00:11:59,721 --> 00:12:04,225 * * 216 00:12:04,267 --> 00:12:05,852 The U.S. electrical grid is the largest 217 00:12:05,893 --> 00:12:09,814 interconnected machine on Earth, 218 00:12:09,856 --> 00:12:12,859 millions of miles of power lines connecting 219 00:12:12,900 --> 00:12:16,863 thousands of power plants, sending electricity to homes, 220 00:12:16,904 --> 00:12:18,656 factories, and businesses. 221 00:12:18,698 --> 00:12:20,992 For many people, myself included, 222 00:12:21,033 --> 00:12:23,745 it's the greatest engineering achievement 223 00:12:23,786 --> 00:12:25,788 of the 20th century. 224 00:12:25,830 --> 00:12:29,417 Back here at Grid Operations, their big worry, 225 00:12:29,459 --> 00:12:32,587 surges of current caused by the solar shock wave 226 00:12:32,628 --> 00:12:34,672 will cause a chain reaction of surges 227 00:12:34,714 --> 00:12:38,885 through power lines that would overload the entire grid. 228 00:12:38,926 --> 00:12:42,221 Ironically, too much electricity is what leads 229 00:12:42,263 --> 00:12:44,432 to this electrical blackout. 230 00:12:44,474 --> 00:12:46,642 One way to keep that from happening 231 00:12:46,684 --> 00:12:50,271 is to isolate and shut down selected parts of the grid 232 00:12:50,313 --> 00:12:53,441 at just the right times to keep a few surges 233 00:12:53,483 --> 00:12:56,569 from building up into a huge overload. 234 00:12:56,611 --> 00:12:59,405 Our technician here is activating 235 00:12:59,447 --> 00:13:01,991 one of those safety systems. 236 00:13:02,033 --> 00:13:03,951 - Ha, you got to see this. 237 00:13:03,993 --> 00:13:08,081 It's like he's never seen toilet paper before. 238 00:13:08,122 --> 00:13:10,500 [quirky music] 239 00:13:11,959 --> 00:13:14,462 - Well, he was, until he got distracted 240 00:13:14,504 --> 00:13:17,423 by an admittedly adorable cat video 241 00:13:17,465 --> 00:13:20,968 and unleashed this act of cow. 242 00:13:21,010 --> 00:13:22,428 [dramatic music] 243 00:13:22,470 --> 00:13:25,014 Act of cow symbolizes the human negligence 244 00:13:25,056 --> 00:13:28,559 that can trigger a disaster or make one worse. 245 00:13:28,601 --> 00:13:30,770 It's inspired by a bovine named Daisy, 246 00:13:30,812 --> 00:13:33,523 who as legend has it kicked over a lantern 247 00:13:33,564 --> 00:13:36,776 and started the Great Chicago Fire... 248 00:13:36,818 --> 00:13:38,319 [cow lowing] 249 00:13:38,361 --> 00:13:40,363 Like a technician making a small but fatal 250 00:13:40,405 --> 00:13:42,990 keystroke error in an overworked grid 251 00:13:43,032 --> 00:13:46,452 turning a bad situation a whole lot worse. 252 00:13:46,494 --> 00:13:49,580 [solar flare roaring] 253 00:13:54,043 --> 00:13:55,920 [alarm blaring] 254 00:13:55,962 --> 00:13:57,130 - Oh, sh... 255 00:13:57,171 --> 00:13:59,549 - Many sections of the grid are antiquated 256 00:13:59,590 --> 00:14:02,135 and lack the automated protection systems 257 00:14:02,176 --> 00:14:03,845 that would prevent human error. 258 00:14:03,886 --> 00:14:07,557 Because he failed to implement key safety measures in time, 259 00:14:07,598 --> 00:14:12,395 the surges are now building into a full-blown overload. 260 00:14:12,437 --> 00:14:14,522 [fire roaring] 261 00:14:14,564 --> 00:14:17,650 [electricity crackling] 262 00:14:30,371 --> 00:14:33,499 [all screaming] 263 00:14:40,214 --> 00:14:43,301 [solar flare roaring] 264 00:14:53,352 --> 00:14:55,438 [electricity buzzing] 265 00:14:58,983 --> 00:15:02,779 [siren wailing] 266 00:15:02,820 --> 00:15:04,197 [horns honking] 267 00:15:04,238 --> 00:15:06,407 [dog barking] 268 00:15:13,122 --> 00:15:16,959 [indistinct radio chatter] 269 00:15:17,001 --> 00:15:20,004 [alarm blaring] 270 00:15:28,930 --> 00:15:30,223 This is it. 271 00:15:30,264 --> 00:15:32,016 This is the big one. 272 00:15:32,058 --> 00:15:35,937 Pretty soon we are all going to be in the dark. 273 00:15:35,978 --> 00:15:40,108 [indistinct chatter] 274 00:15:40,149 --> 00:15:41,567 - We gotta get home. 275 00:15:41,609 --> 00:15:43,569 - Which way do we go? 276 00:15:52,328 --> 00:15:55,289 [tense music] 277 00:15:55,331 --> 00:15:56,290 * * 278 00:15:56,332 --> 00:16:01,337 [sirens wailing] 279 00:16:03,673 --> 00:16:05,007 - [screams] 280 00:16:08,010 --> 00:16:10,138 [all screaming] 281 00:16:13,808 --> 00:16:18,438 [sirens wailing] 282 00:16:18,479 --> 00:16:21,232 - Run! 283 00:16:30,700 --> 00:16:32,535 - Power grids are failing. 284 00:16:32,577 --> 00:16:38,082 The world is plunging into a new, really dark Dark Age. 285 00:16:38,124 --> 00:16:40,334 [alarm blaring] - I have no idea. 286 00:16:44,839 --> 00:16:48,468 - What's going on here? 287 00:16:48,509 --> 00:16:53,598 [electricity crackling] 288 00:16:53,639 --> 00:16:56,559 - This is what it looks like when a grid dies. 289 00:16:56,601 --> 00:16:58,978 Power surges are following the wires 290 00:16:59,020 --> 00:17:00,855 from building to building, 291 00:17:00,897 --> 00:17:02,148 from neighborhood to neighborhood, 292 00:17:02,190 --> 00:17:03,983 and then city to city. 293 00:17:04,025 --> 00:17:06,319 Overloaded electrical equipment is 294 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:09,322 triggering explosions in factories and chemical plants. 295 00:17:09,363 --> 00:17:13,868 Toxic fumes waft through the streets. 296 00:17:13,910 --> 00:17:15,828 Oh, yeah, traffic lights are out. 297 00:17:15,870 --> 00:17:17,747 Train signals are down. 298 00:17:17,789 --> 00:17:19,290 Ships can't find their ports, 299 00:17:19,332 --> 00:17:21,334 can't even make radio contact. 300 00:17:21,375 --> 00:17:25,671 And get this, air traffic control is down, 301 00:17:25,713 --> 00:17:30,760 21,000 pilots around the world flying blind. 302 00:17:30,802 --> 00:17:34,847 [airplane engine roaring] 303 00:17:34,889 --> 00:17:35,848 [car alarms blaring] 304 00:17:35,890 --> 00:17:37,642 Gas stations aren't operating. 305 00:17:37,683 --> 00:17:39,352 Electric cars still run, 306 00:17:39,394 --> 00:17:41,396 until they drain their batteries. 307 00:17:41,437 --> 00:17:45,358 Before long it'll be back to the horse and buggy, 308 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,069 unless people start eating the horses first. 309 00:17:53,574 --> 00:17:57,662 Even in normal times falling power lines start 310 00:17:57,703 --> 00:17:59,539 hundreds of wildfires a year. 311 00:17:59,580 --> 00:18:02,917 Right now, we've got about 100 times that many 312 00:18:02,959 --> 00:18:05,837 burning everywhere all the time. 313 00:18:05,878 --> 00:18:09,716 And the story is the same in forests, homes, factories. 314 00:18:09,757 --> 00:18:11,467 It's all going up in flames. 315 00:18:11,509 --> 00:18:14,220 And there are no firefighters to spare. 316 00:18:14,262 --> 00:18:17,432 And there's no dispatch system to direct them anyway. 317 00:18:17,473 --> 00:18:19,100 [glass shattering] 318 00:18:19,142 --> 00:18:21,894 The economy as we knew it vanishes. 319 00:18:21,936 --> 00:18:23,688 Wall Street is just a street. 320 00:18:23,730 --> 00:18:27,567 Jeff Bezos is just a bald guy with a cool house. 321 00:18:27,608 --> 00:18:29,235 Cash is trash. 322 00:18:29,277 --> 00:18:31,654 Cryptocurrency blinks out of existence. 323 00:18:31,696 --> 00:18:33,698 And people are scrambling for things that 324 00:18:33,740 --> 00:18:37,118 have real value, like water, backup generators, 325 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:41,247 and batteries. 326 00:18:41,289 --> 00:18:44,125 Hey, you guys, there's no electricity. 327 00:18:44,167 --> 00:18:45,376 Never mind. 328 00:18:45,418 --> 00:18:47,462 The only silver lining in this nightmare 329 00:18:47,503 --> 00:18:51,340 may be that with cities dark and no light pollution 330 00:18:51,382 --> 00:18:54,135 many people are going to see the night sky 331 00:18:54,177 --> 00:18:56,262 for the very first time. 332 00:19:04,479 --> 00:19:07,190 Up in orbit they're about as far off the grid 333 00:19:07,231 --> 00:19:08,941 as anyone can get. 334 00:19:08,983 --> 00:19:12,570 But all of the essential supplies come from the ground. 335 00:19:12,612 --> 00:19:15,782 It could be months or years before anyone 336 00:19:15,823 --> 00:19:17,700 is launching rockets again. 337 00:19:17,742 --> 00:19:19,786 They have to make a tough choice, 338 00:19:19,827 --> 00:19:23,206 stay put for now and hope for a supply run 339 00:19:23,247 --> 00:19:29,212 or abandon ship and attempt to land on a world in disarray. 340 00:19:29,253 --> 00:19:36,219 * * 341 00:19:36,260 --> 00:19:38,763 [siren wailing] 342 00:20:16,884 --> 00:20:19,846 - [groaning] 343 00:20:19,887 --> 00:20:22,807 [heartbeat thumping] 344 00:20:34,235 --> 00:20:36,779 - [inaudible] 345 00:20:36,821 --> 00:20:38,865 - Get inside. 346 00:20:38,906 --> 00:20:41,701 [indistinct chatter] 347 00:20:41,743 --> 00:20:43,703 - Come on. Come on. 348 00:20:43,745 --> 00:20:50,168 * * 349 00:20:50,209 --> 00:20:53,296 [heartbeat thumping] 350 00:21:00,094 --> 00:21:03,264 [sirens wailing] 351 00:21:05,683 --> 00:21:09,437 - Humans lived for thousands of years 352 00:21:09,479 --> 00:21:12,732 without even a concept of electricity. 353 00:21:12,774 --> 00:21:15,443 So why would we all now perish without it? 354 00:21:15,485 --> 00:21:18,321 Well, no electricity, no water. 355 00:21:18,362 --> 00:21:20,406 Very few of us still carry a bucket 356 00:21:20,448 --> 00:21:22,200 to a well to draw water. 357 00:21:22,241 --> 00:21:28,206 Modern plumbing and sanitation systems depend on electricity. 358 00:21:28,247 --> 00:21:31,209 No electricity, no food. 359 00:21:31,250 --> 00:21:32,919 Almost everyone around the world 360 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:36,964 depends on refrigeration and complex supply chains to eat. 361 00:21:37,006 --> 00:21:38,841 Without those things, our planet couldn't 362 00:21:38,883 --> 00:21:41,260 sustain 8 billion people. 363 00:21:41,302 --> 00:21:45,098 No electricity, no information age. 364 00:21:45,139 --> 00:21:46,599 Do you want to Google that? 365 00:21:46,641 --> 00:21:48,643 You can't. 366 00:21:48,684 --> 00:21:50,645 Books. 367 00:21:50,686 --> 00:21:54,065 Books become one of the world's most precious commodities. 368 00:21:54,107 --> 00:21:57,485 And places like these, libraries, 369 00:21:57,527 --> 00:22:00,405 will once again become the sole repositories 370 00:22:00,446 --> 00:22:03,658 of human knowledge. 371 00:22:03,699 --> 00:22:06,202 Unfortunately, most of the books in that library 372 00:22:06,244 --> 00:22:07,745 won't be read. 373 00:22:07,787 --> 00:22:12,166 They'll be burned, not for censorship, but for warmth. 374 00:22:12,208 --> 00:22:14,836 No electricity, no climate control. 375 00:22:14,877 --> 00:22:17,171 If you live in Montana in the winter, 376 00:22:17,213 --> 00:22:19,632 you know this is a serious problem. 377 00:22:19,674 --> 00:22:22,385 Ever hear of people in their own homes 378 00:22:22,427 --> 00:22:24,178 dying from hypothermia? 379 00:22:24,220 --> 00:22:27,306 [electricity crackling] 380 00:22:31,978 --> 00:22:33,604 That's a blown transformer. 381 00:22:33,646 --> 00:22:35,857 Downed power lines like this one 382 00:22:35,898 --> 00:22:38,067 may still be carrying a lot of juice. 383 00:22:38,109 --> 00:22:40,945 And unlike in the movies, they don't give off sparks 384 00:22:40,987 --> 00:22:44,198 or buzz or jump around like hissing snakes. 385 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,451 These silent killers can deliver 386 00:22:46,492 --> 00:22:49,954 more than 700,000 volts. 387 00:22:49,996 --> 00:22:52,498 You might be thinking, Bill, you look ridiculous. 388 00:22:52,540 --> 00:22:54,083 Who walks like that? 389 00:22:54,125 --> 00:22:57,295 Someone near a downed power line, that's who. 390 00:22:57,336 --> 00:22:59,672 When a live wire touches the ground, 391 00:22:59,714 --> 00:23:02,008 electricity travels in all directions, 392 00:23:02,050 --> 00:23:05,344 and the voltage decreases as the distance from the wire 393 00:23:05,386 --> 00:23:07,430 touching the ground increases. 394 00:23:07,472 --> 00:23:10,016 So if you run or take a large step, 395 00:23:10,058 --> 00:23:13,644 you'll conduct electricity from one leg at one voltage 396 00:23:13,686 --> 00:23:15,938 to the other leg at a different voltage, 397 00:23:15,980 --> 00:23:18,775 which turns you into a human French fry. 398 00:23:18,816 --> 00:23:21,527 That's why I'm shuffling my feet close together, 399 00:23:21,569 --> 00:23:23,529 never taking them off the ground. 400 00:23:23,571 --> 00:23:26,699 I'll need to get at least 35 feet away to be safe. 401 00:23:26,741 --> 00:23:29,744 Right now, I'm about 20 feet. 402 00:23:29,786 --> 00:23:31,579 A ways to go yet. 403 00:23:34,082 --> 00:23:36,375 Everything's going to be fine. 404 00:23:38,419 --> 00:23:40,213 Here we go. 405 00:23:40,254 --> 00:23:43,508 Ahh! 406 00:23:46,886 --> 00:23:49,847 [tense music] 407 00:23:49,889 --> 00:23:54,310 * * 408 00:23:57,480 --> 00:23:59,690 [alarm blaring] 409 00:24:03,027 --> 00:24:05,405 [foreboding music] 410 00:24:05,446 --> 00:24:06,906 - [exhales] 411 00:24:06,948 --> 00:24:13,871 * * 412 00:24:32,765 --> 00:24:35,685 [sirens wailing] 413 00:24:58,833 --> 00:25:01,753 - [sobbing] 414 00:25:12,096 --> 00:25:14,265 - As the lights go out on civilization, 415 00:25:14,307 --> 00:25:17,060 our disaster simulation fades to black. 416 00:25:17,101 --> 00:25:19,729 [tense music] 417 00:25:19,771 --> 00:25:23,399 Wow, I'm shocked, literally and figuratively. 418 00:25:23,441 --> 00:25:25,026 Do you see what just happened? 419 00:25:25,068 --> 00:25:27,653 We failed to learn lessons from the past, 420 00:25:27,695 --> 00:25:30,782 and we ended up in a very dark future. 421 00:25:30,823 --> 00:25:32,408 But it's not too late. 422 00:25:32,450 --> 00:25:34,911 Let's take a closer look at what went wrong 423 00:25:34,952 --> 00:25:37,622 and see how we can do better. 424 00:25:37,663 --> 00:25:39,415 Let's go to the lab. 425 00:25:39,457 --> 00:25:42,668 I've prepared an enlightening demo. 426 00:25:44,045 --> 00:25:46,172 Now, I know this show's been scary, 427 00:25:46,214 --> 00:25:49,425 but I've got to turn off the lights again. 428 00:25:51,761 --> 00:25:54,430 Now, let's say this is the Sun. 429 00:25:54,472 --> 00:25:57,141 The Sun not only shines with light we can see, 430 00:25:57,183 --> 00:25:59,811 it has a huge magnetic field. 431 00:25:59,852 --> 00:26:02,688 If we could see it, it would look something like this. 432 00:26:04,607 --> 00:26:07,819 And like a planet, the Sun spins. 433 00:26:07,860 --> 00:26:10,071 Unlike a planet, different parts 434 00:26:10,113 --> 00:26:13,157 of the surface of the Sun spin at different rates. 435 00:26:13,199 --> 00:26:16,285 So now and then its magnetic field gets twisted, 436 00:26:16,327 --> 00:26:19,747 and energy builds and builds until it snaps, 437 00:26:19,789 --> 00:26:23,251 creating a coronal mass ejection, or CME. 438 00:26:23,292 --> 00:26:26,879 It's an explosion on the Sun. 439 00:26:26,921 --> 00:26:28,464 Whew. 440 00:26:28,506 --> 00:26:31,801 The more energy in the magnetic field when it snaps, 441 00:26:31,843 --> 00:26:33,678 the bigger the flare. 442 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,973 But the main event comes about a day later 443 00:26:37,014 --> 00:26:39,434 when a shock wave of charged particles 444 00:26:39,475 --> 00:26:44,439 from the CME reaches Earth. 445 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,568 Ah, here's Earth right here. 446 00:26:48,609 --> 00:26:51,362 Compared to the Sun, Earth is quite small. 447 00:26:51,404 --> 00:26:54,741 In fact, a million Earths would fit inside the Sun. 448 00:26:54,782 --> 00:26:57,160 Our planet has a magnetic field too. 449 00:26:57,201 --> 00:26:58,703 That's what makes a compass work. 450 00:26:58,745 --> 00:27:01,414 Now, most of the time, Earth's magnetic field 451 00:27:01,456 --> 00:27:03,583 acts as our protector. 452 00:27:03,624 --> 00:27:06,169 It prevents our atmosphere from being stripped away 453 00:27:06,210 --> 00:27:08,755 into space, which is great for anyone 454 00:27:08,796 --> 00:27:11,257 who's a fan of breathing. 455 00:27:11,299 --> 00:27:14,343 Now, when a huge solar shock wave reaches Earth, 456 00:27:14,385 --> 00:27:18,681 it distorts our magnetic field like a funhouse mirror. 457 00:27:22,226 --> 00:27:24,812 Now, mind you, the planet itself doesn't suffer much. 458 00:27:24,854 --> 00:27:28,232 Life goes on as usual if you're a squirrel 459 00:27:28,274 --> 00:27:31,611 or a carpenter ant or a begonia. 460 00:27:31,652 --> 00:27:35,531 But you know who does suffer? Me and you. 461 00:27:35,573 --> 00:27:38,701 What I'm saying is, our entire modern civilization 462 00:27:38,743 --> 00:27:42,080 could be brought down by the Sun. 463 00:27:42,121 --> 00:27:43,956 The same thing that keeps us alive 464 00:27:43,998 --> 00:27:47,668 could kill us when it destroys our electrical grid. 465 00:27:47,710 --> 00:27:49,545 And there's one part of the grid 466 00:27:49,587 --> 00:27:53,549 that is especially vulnerable, the weakest link, so to speak. 467 00:27:53,591 --> 00:27:55,510 To show you what could go wrong, 468 00:27:55,551 --> 00:27:59,222 we need to take a trip to France. 469 00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:14,737 Behold the City of Light. 470 00:28:14,779 --> 00:28:17,615 Paris got its nickname in the 17th century 471 00:28:17,657 --> 00:28:21,369 when Louis XIV put lanterns on every block 472 00:28:21,411 --> 00:28:24,080 to create a sense of peace and order. 473 00:28:24,122 --> 00:28:27,750 Paris was the first major city to install gas streetlights. 474 00:28:27,792 --> 00:28:31,796 Today it sparkles with an electric glow. 475 00:28:36,968 --> 00:28:39,262 [in French accent] The weakest links in petite Paris-- 476 00:28:39,303 --> 00:28:40,722 [clears throat] Wait. 477 00:28:40,763 --> 00:28:43,099 [in normal voice] The weakest links in tiny Paris, 478 00:28:43,141 --> 00:28:45,435 just like in your town or city, 479 00:28:45,476 --> 00:28:48,104 are the transformers, the components 480 00:28:48,146 --> 00:28:49,647 that control voltage. 481 00:28:49,689 --> 00:28:53,025 They transform the high-voltage electricity 482 00:28:53,067 --> 00:28:54,736 that comes out of power plants 483 00:28:54,777 --> 00:28:57,113 into the low-voltage electricity 484 00:28:57,155 --> 00:28:58,865 that you can use in your home. 485 00:28:58,906 --> 00:29:01,993 Without transformers, you have no grid, 486 00:29:02,034 --> 00:29:04,746 no juice in your outlets. 487 00:29:04,787 --> 00:29:10,543 The City of Light turns back into the city of lanterns. 488 00:29:10,585 --> 00:29:13,504 Hey, man, didn't I see you at the Yellowstone eruption? 489 00:29:13,546 --> 00:29:14,839 - Huh? 490 00:29:17,508 --> 00:29:21,471 - Glad you made it through in one piece. 491 00:29:21,512 --> 00:29:24,766 - Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. 492 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:29,228 - [chuckles] We've been through a lot together. 493 00:29:29,270 --> 00:29:30,813 - Mm-mm-mm-mm. 494 00:29:30,855 --> 00:29:33,649 - If you've ever walked or driven by a power station, 495 00:29:33,691 --> 00:29:36,110 you've probably seen a transformer. 496 00:29:36,152 --> 00:29:39,739 You may also have noticed them near power lines, factories, 497 00:29:39,781 --> 00:29:43,326 monuments, any place that moves a lot of electricity around. 498 00:29:43,367 --> 00:29:46,329 [gentle music] 499 00:29:46,370 --> 00:29:48,372 * * 500 00:29:48,414 --> 00:29:50,958 From the outside, transformers look like 501 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:54,045 big buzzing boxes or cylinders. 502 00:29:54,087 --> 00:29:58,132 Inside, they are delicate constructions of spun wire. 503 00:29:58,174 --> 00:30:03,179 They can burn out, melt, or explode if they're overloaded. 504 00:30:03,221 --> 00:30:07,517 If they all fail at once, like, say, after a major solar flare, 505 00:30:07,558 --> 00:30:09,477 then you have to replace them all 506 00:30:09,519 --> 00:30:11,479 before you can restart the grid. 507 00:30:11,521 --> 00:30:14,357 And if the power is out and the transformer factories 508 00:30:14,399 --> 00:30:16,526 are ruined, you don't have any way 509 00:30:16,567 --> 00:30:18,736 to make any more transformers. 510 00:30:18,778 --> 00:30:22,615 Now your blackout becomes a forever blackout. 511 00:30:22,657 --> 00:30:24,283 There's no waiting for the power 512 00:30:24,325 --> 00:30:26,536 to come back on, because the power 513 00:30:26,577 --> 00:30:31,124 is never coming back on, ever. 514 00:30:31,165 --> 00:30:33,960 To demonstrate, I'm going to zap 515 00:30:34,001 --> 00:30:38,214 tiny Paris with a super flare. 516 00:30:38,256 --> 00:30:41,217 [device beeping] 517 00:30:41,259 --> 00:30:44,053 Au revoir, petite Paris. 518 00:30:44,095 --> 00:30:46,639 [electricity crackling] 519 00:30:46,681 --> 00:30:48,766 - Oh, no! 520 00:30:48,808 --> 00:30:50,476 - Whoa! 521 00:30:56,941 --> 00:30:59,402 Ahh! 522 00:31:09,412 --> 00:31:13,082 If we don't want to end up in the dark like tiny Paris, 523 00:31:13,124 --> 00:31:16,127 we'll need to find a way to protect our transformers 524 00:31:16,169 --> 00:31:17,879 and other critical systems. 525 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,382 As someone once said, it is during our darkest moments 526 00:31:21,424 --> 00:31:24,218 that we must finally see the light. 527 00:31:24,260 --> 00:31:29,724 * * 528 00:31:33,436 --> 00:31:35,188 - If we're going to be prepared for the future, 529 00:31:35,229 --> 00:31:37,273 we can't ignore the past. 530 00:31:37,315 --> 00:31:40,359 Solar super flares have happened again and again. 531 00:31:40,401 --> 00:31:43,237 We can tell because really big flares 532 00:31:43,279 --> 00:31:46,324 leave a chemical imprint in the air, 533 00:31:46,365 --> 00:31:48,576 like the smell after a thunderstorm. 534 00:31:48,618 --> 00:31:50,661 That's ozone. 535 00:31:50,703 --> 00:31:54,123 Trees take in that altered ozone air, 536 00:31:54,165 --> 00:31:56,751 and we can see it in their growth rings. 537 00:31:56,793 --> 00:32:01,130 A tree becomes a witness. 538 00:32:01,172 --> 00:32:06,886 So here's the solar flare from the year 774. 539 00:32:06,928 --> 00:32:10,014 Here's one from the year 1293. 540 00:32:10,056 --> 00:32:12,266 The next big one in the future 541 00:32:12,308 --> 00:32:15,353 that kills our civilization, well, that would be 542 00:32:15,395 --> 00:32:17,397 out here someplace, I guess. 543 00:32:17,438 --> 00:32:19,649 Now, one way to protect the grid 544 00:32:19,690 --> 00:32:22,568 is to add systems that can sense a power overload 545 00:32:22,610 --> 00:32:25,530 the moment it happens and shut down the parts of the grid 546 00:32:25,571 --> 00:32:28,199 that need to be protected, just like circuit breakers 547 00:32:28,241 --> 00:32:29,909 in your house or apartment 548 00:32:29,951 --> 00:32:33,037 but on a much, much larger scale. 549 00:32:33,079 --> 00:32:35,498 We can also protect the most sensitive parts 550 00:32:35,540 --> 00:32:37,417 of our electrical infrastructure 551 00:32:37,458 --> 00:32:40,545 so they remain intact no matter what happens. 552 00:32:40,586 --> 00:32:42,213 Here, I'll show you. 553 00:32:45,258 --> 00:32:48,469 That shiny tower is a Tesla coil, 554 00:32:48,511 --> 00:32:50,847 a machine that delivers a million volts 555 00:32:50,888 --> 00:32:52,390 of pure electricity. 556 00:32:52,432 --> 00:32:55,435 When it switches on, things will get 557 00:32:55,476 --> 00:32:58,104 crackling in here, just like our planet 558 00:32:58,146 --> 00:33:00,189 during a solar superstorm. 559 00:33:00,231 --> 00:33:01,441 It's dangerous. 560 00:33:01,482 --> 00:33:03,735 But this is a disaster show, people. 561 00:33:03,776 --> 00:33:05,153 Danger is our business. 562 00:33:05,194 --> 00:33:08,156 [tense music] 563 00:33:08,197 --> 00:33:10,992 * * 564 00:33:11,033 --> 00:33:13,369 Ah. 565 00:33:13,411 --> 00:33:17,665 Now, I'm not looking to become French fry Nye. 566 00:33:17,707 --> 00:33:20,334 This wire cage may not look like much, 567 00:33:20,376 --> 00:33:22,420 but when I'm inside it, I'm protected 568 00:33:22,462 --> 00:33:24,505 from electromagnetic fields. 569 00:33:24,547 --> 00:33:26,632 The conductive wires of the cage 570 00:33:26,674 --> 00:33:29,510 cause the fields to go right around me. 571 00:33:29,552 --> 00:33:35,349 I don't feel their effects at all, even if I do this. 572 00:33:39,353 --> 00:33:44,358 It's called a Faraday cage, named after Nicolas Cage. 573 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:45,610 Kidding. 574 00:33:45,651 --> 00:33:48,362 This is another Michael Faraday brainstorm. 575 00:33:48,404 --> 00:33:51,949 Not only did he discover how moving magnetic fields 576 00:33:51,991 --> 00:33:55,953 create electricity, he figured out how to isolate 577 00:33:55,995 --> 00:33:58,456 objects from electromagnetism. 578 00:33:58,498 --> 00:34:00,792 Anything within the Faraday cage 579 00:34:00,833 --> 00:34:05,838 is isolated and safe, safe even from the fury of CMEs 580 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:08,132 and geomagnetic storms. 581 00:34:08,174 --> 00:34:09,967 It's working for me. 582 00:34:10,009 --> 00:34:12,678 Should be working for the grid too. 583 00:34:12,720 --> 00:34:16,391 Whoo-hoo! 584 00:34:16,432 --> 00:34:19,519 [airplane engine roaring] 585 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,021 [thunder booming] 586 00:34:22,063 --> 00:34:23,564 Here's a tip. 587 00:34:23,606 --> 00:34:26,943 If you're in a car during a lightning storm, stay there. 588 00:34:26,984 --> 00:34:30,238 The metal body of the car acts as your Faraday cage, 589 00:34:30,279 --> 00:34:32,281 so the lightning can't zap you. 590 00:34:32,323 --> 00:34:35,118 The same is true of an airplane fuselage. 591 00:34:35,159 --> 00:34:36,911 If you fly through an electrical storm, 592 00:34:36,953 --> 00:34:38,246 don't freak out. 593 00:34:38,287 --> 00:34:40,415 Michael Faraday has got your back. 594 00:34:40,456 --> 00:34:44,127 The entire airplane is a Faraday safety cage. 595 00:34:44,168 --> 00:34:48,256 In fact, an airplane is one of the safest places you can be. 596 00:34:48,297 --> 00:34:52,677 [all groaning] 597 00:35:03,521 --> 00:35:06,524 You can imagine putting our critical transformers 598 00:35:06,566 --> 00:35:09,318 in Faraday cages, but we're not doing that. 599 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,738 We're not even investing enough for our systems 600 00:35:11,779 --> 00:35:13,489 to weather winter storms. 601 00:35:13,531 --> 00:35:15,992 Recently in Texas, the electricity 602 00:35:16,033 --> 00:35:17,702 went out statewide. 603 00:35:17,744 --> 00:35:19,996 The reason things got so bad there 604 00:35:20,037 --> 00:35:23,458 was a result of cutting costs, aging infrastructure, 605 00:35:23,499 --> 00:35:25,168 and lack of preparedness. 606 00:35:25,209 --> 00:35:27,086 In fact, the entire state of Texas 607 00:35:27,128 --> 00:35:31,215 was just seconds away from total power failure. 608 00:35:31,257 --> 00:35:33,217 Quick thinking grid operators managed 609 00:35:33,259 --> 00:35:37,472 to stop the chain reaction of blackouts in the nick of time. 610 00:35:37,513 --> 00:35:40,099 If they hadn't, the damage would have taken 611 00:35:40,141 --> 00:35:43,102 months or years to repair. 612 00:35:43,144 --> 00:35:46,689 How many of the 30 million people living in Texas 613 00:35:46,731 --> 00:35:48,524 knew how close they were to being 614 00:35:48,566 --> 00:35:51,360 in the dark indefinitely? 615 00:35:51,402 --> 00:35:54,113 Another problem, the Texas power grid 616 00:35:54,155 --> 00:35:56,699 was designed to be independent. 617 00:35:56,741 --> 00:35:58,951 By independent, I mean not connected 618 00:35:58,993 --> 00:36:01,412 to any other state or country. 619 00:36:01,454 --> 00:36:04,123 When it came to protecting their own power plants, 620 00:36:04,165 --> 00:36:07,585 politicians didn't get around to it. 621 00:36:07,627 --> 00:36:09,796 What happened in Texas is a warning 622 00:36:09,837 --> 00:36:11,339 to the rest of the world. 623 00:36:11,381 --> 00:36:13,299 If we're going to keep expanding 624 00:36:13,341 --> 00:36:15,385 our electric civilization, 625 00:36:15,426 --> 00:36:18,763 we must also invest to protect it. 626 00:36:21,224 --> 00:36:23,559 Time to rethink the whole thing. 627 00:36:23,601 --> 00:36:26,396 What we need is a smart grid. 628 00:36:26,437 --> 00:36:28,481 The power flowing in your home right now 629 00:36:28,523 --> 00:36:30,650 is the product of an antiquated system 630 00:36:30,691 --> 00:36:32,985 of power plants and transmission lines 631 00:36:33,027 --> 00:36:35,988 invented while horse and buggies were still around... 632 00:36:36,030 --> 00:36:37,949 really. 633 00:36:37,990 --> 00:36:39,659 Every town and city in the world 634 00:36:39,700 --> 00:36:42,787 from Bangladesh to Bakersfield still uses 635 00:36:42,829 --> 00:36:45,331 this primitive one-way power network 636 00:36:45,373 --> 00:36:47,583 and relies on aging infrastructure 637 00:36:47,625 --> 00:36:50,002 to keep our lights on. 638 00:36:50,044 --> 00:36:52,922 A smart grid would allow for two-way communication 639 00:36:52,964 --> 00:36:56,342 between control systems, computers, homes, 640 00:36:56,384 --> 00:36:57,969 businesses, power plants, 641 00:36:58,010 --> 00:37:00,513 and all the infrastructure in between. 642 00:37:00,555 --> 00:37:02,974 A smart grid would constantly adjust 643 00:37:03,015 --> 00:37:05,977 to match the ever-changing supply and demand 644 00:37:06,018 --> 00:37:08,396 and distribute power efficiently. 645 00:37:08,438 --> 00:37:11,357 A smart grid would have automated safeguards 646 00:37:11,399 --> 00:37:15,319 to handle emergencies that the existing grid cannot, 647 00:37:15,361 --> 00:37:20,158 things like winter freezes, 648 00:37:20,199 --> 00:37:23,953 earthquakes, 649 00:37:23,995 --> 00:37:27,206 and yes, solar flares. 650 00:37:27,248 --> 00:37:29,125 So what are we waiting for? 651 00:37:29,167 --> 00:37:30,668 There's lots of work to do. 652 00:37:30,710 --> 00:37:34,047 We're talking millions of miles of wires and cables. 653 00:37:34,088 --> 00:37:37,592 It will be like replacing every road and street. 654 00:37:37,633 --> 00:37:40,762 A smart grid is possible, but it will take time. 655 00:37:40,803 --> 00:37:42,513 Let's demand that our government 656 00:37:42,555 --> 00:37:45,224 invest in upgrading our electrical infrastructure 657 00:37:45,266 --> 00:37:48,644 starting now. 658 00:37:48,686 --> 00:37:51,272 Hey, I can see my house from here. 659 00:37:53,399 --> 00:37:55,735 We also need a modernized 660 00:37:55,777 --> 00:37:58,279 space weather forecasting system. 661 00:37:58,321 --> 00:37:59,947 We're relying on a limited fleet 662 00:37:59,989 --> 00:38:03,826 of aging spacecraft that were mostly built in the 1990s. 663 00:38:03,868 --> 00:38:08,372 This one, called SOHO, was the state-of-the-art at the time. 664 00:38:08,414 --> 00:38:11,417 It's still one of the best Sun monitoring stations we've got, 665 00:38:11,459 --> 00:38:13,920 but it's ready for retirement. 666 00:38:13,961 --> 00:38:17,048 Today's space weather probes can give us barely an hour 667 00:38:17,090 --> 00:38:19,675 of advanced warning before a solar CME 668 00:38:19,717 --> 00:38:22,595 blasts our electrical system. 669 00:38:22,637 --> 00:38:27,058 Tech from the 1990s, videotapes, science guy shows? 670 00:38:27,100 --> 00:38:29,852 We can do better, people! 671 00:38:29,894 --> 00:38:32,772 New space weather probes are on the drawing board, 672 00:38:32,814 --> 00:38:35,775 but most are still in the planning stages. 673 00:38:35,817 --> 00:38:38,528 We need better eyes on the Sun as soon as possible 674 00:38:38,569 --> 00:38:41,489 to warn us of a major solar flare. 675 00:38:44,867 --> 00:38:48,079 The lights should always stay on in the City of Light. 676 00:38:48,121 --> 00:38:51,541 Now we have systems to put electricity where it's needed 677 00:38:51,582 --> 00:38:53,918 when it's needed or to disconnect parts 678 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:55,837 of the grid if necessary. 679 00:38:55,878 --> 00:38:58,506 This is also a moment of great opportunity 680 00:38:58,548 --> 00:39:01,467 for the developing world. 681 00:39:01,509 --> 00:39:04,220 Countries can skip past the vulnerable stage 682 00:39:04,262 --> 00:39:08,224 and build robust green energy grids from the get-go, 683 00:39:08,266 --> 00:39:11,310 or from the grid-go. [chuckles] 684 00:39:11,352 --> 00:39:13,104 C'est magnifique! 685 00:39:15,898 --> 00:39:18,651 The Sun is going to do its thing no matter what. 686 00:39:18,693 --> 00:39:22,613 So it's up to us to do our thing no matter what. 687 00:39:22,655 --> 00:39:25,658 This time, armed with detailed information 688 00:39:25,700 --> 00:39:28,494 about conditions on the Sun and in deep space, 689 00:39:28,536 --> 00:39:30,913 scientists are prepared to act quickly. 690 00:39:30,955 --> 00:39:34,000 They have days of accurate advanced warning, 691 00:39:34,041 --> 00:39:36,252 plenty of time to warn the public. 692 00:39:36,294 --> 00:39:39,756 With new smart grids online, automated safeguards 693 00:39:39,797 --> 00:39:42,508 kick in before any overload can happen. 694 00:39:42,550 --> 00:39:44,969 And it even corrects for human error. 695 00:39:45,011 --> 00:39:46,721 - It's like he's never seen a baby talk before. 696 00:39:46,763 --> 00:39:48,639 [laughs] 697 00:39:48,681 --> 00:39:51,851 [light music] 698 00:39:51,893 --> 00:39:55,146 * * 699 00:39:55,188 --> 00:39:57,607 - Our astronaut recently completed 700 00:39:57,648 --> 00:40:00,068 a productive expedition on the ISS 701 00:40:00,109 --> 00:40:02,361 running microgravity experiments 702 00:40:02,403 --> 00:40:04,947 to create new medicines. 703 00:40:04,989 --> 00:40:07,033 Her father is proud of her work, 704 00:40:07,075 --> 00:40:09,368 but he's also grateful to have his daughter 705 00:40:09,410 --> 00:40:11,537 back on solid ground. 706 00:40:11,579 --> 00:40:15,041 [indistinct chatter] 707 00:40:15,083 --> 00:40:19,128 As night sets in, people can enjoy the city lights and all 708 00:40:19,170 --> 00:40:21,881 the other electrical essentials that come with them 709 00:40:21,923 --> 00:40:25,009 confident that it won't all disappear in a flash, 710 00:40:25,051 --> 00:40:28,262 that we managed to think ahead, plan ahead, 711 00:40:28,304 --> 00:40:33,059 and design a world in which the good things stay good. 712 00:40:33,101 --> 00:40:37,939 * * 713 00:40:42,026 --> 00:40:45,238 - People often talk about human progress as a journey 714 00:40:45,279 --> 00:40:47,657 away from fear and superstition. 715 00:40:47,698 --> 00:40:50,159 On the whole, I think we've done a pretty good job. 716 00:40:50,201 --> 00:40:52,370 I certainly try to do my part. 717 00:40:52,412 --> 00:40:55,248 We no longer live in terror of storm gods 718 00:40:55,289 --> 00:40:57,208 and their capricious lightning bolts. 719 00:40:57,250 --> 00:40:59,293 We figured out how lightning works, 720 00:40:59,335 --> 00:41:01,963 and we found ways to harness its secrets. 721 00:41:02,004 --> 00:41:04,132 We've got initiative, no question. 722 00:41:04,173 --> 00:41:07,009 What we lack is "finishative." 723 00:41:07,051 --> 00:41:09,762 We often fail to finish, to complete 724 00:41:09,804 --> 00:41:13,683 that crucial last step and protect things we've created. 725 00:41:13,725 --> 00:41:16,352 Look at us; we built a global network 726 00:41:16,394 --> 00:41:19,021 of astonishing electronic technology. 727 00:41:19,063 --> 00:41:21,774 But even though we've had blackouts and fires 728 00:41:21,816 --> 00:41:24,444 and other warning signs, we haven't done enough 729 00:41:24,485 --> 00:41:26,154 to protect the grid. 730 00:41:26,195 --> 00:41:28,489 Over and over we put off thinking about things 731 00:41:28,531 --> 00:41:31,659 like infrastructure and where our energy comes from 732 00:41:31,701 --> 00:41:33,244 and how it's managed. 733 00:41:33,286 --> 00:41:34,328 I get it. 734 00:41:34,370 --> 00:41:37,874 These things seem wonkish and unsexy. 735 00:41:37,915 --> 00:41:39,459 But we all use electricity, 736 00:41:39,500 --> 00:41:41,753 and we all know how important it is. 737 00:41:41,794 --> 00:41:44,338 We can get better at being resilient 738 00:41:44,380 --> 00:41:46,674 and investing in a better tomorrow. 739 00:41:46,716 --> 00:41:48,885 And you know how we start getting better? 740 00:41:48,926 --> 00:41:52,388 By doing something about it today, right now. 741 00:41:52,430 --> 00:41:56,976 Smart grids and green energy and Sun-monitoring satellites 742 00:41:57,018 --> 00:42:00,146 are ready to go if we just decide to build them. 743 00:42:00,188 --> 00:42:03,733 With our future secure, we can watch a TV show 744 00:42:03,775 --> 00:42:07,820 about an end of the world instead of living through one. 745 00:42:07,862 --> 00:42:09,155 Let's go. 746 00:42:09,197 --> 00:42:12,909 [inspirational music] 747 00:42:12,950 --> 00:42:15,912 [dramatic music] 748 00:42:15,953 --> 00:42:23,086 * *