Government "complacent" over space weather threat

A defence committee has warned the Government it is being “complacent” over space weather and its threat to electronics devices.

In a Defence Committee report - Developing Threats: Electro-Magnetic Pulses (EMP) – officials were warned that the UK was ill-prepared to deal with the effects of electromagnetic pulses from either weather or weapons.

A strong pulse could, the report claimed, take out the GPS system, which is relied upon by the the military and financial industry. A pulse could also disrupt electricity supplies and communications networks.

"The reactive posture described by the Government appears somewhat complacent,” said committee chair James Arbuthnot. “Space weather is a global threat and may affect many regions and countries simultaneously. It is time that the Government began to approach this matter with the seriousness it deserves."

The committee said the UK's dependence on its electronic infrastructure meant that any interruption of services could prove “catastrophic” and take a long time to put right, because replacing equipment would be difficult and time-consuming, with insufficient spare parts.

“The consequences might be long-term, widespread and catastrophic, and because of the interdependency of the systems which are likely to be affected, the current recovery plans may be of little value,” the report found.

High risk?

The threat of EMP disruption is nothing new – and has been a concern since the 1850s – but research into space weather suggests the risk is growing. “Severe space weather, which might cause geomagnetic storms impacting the Earth's magnetosphere, has been the subject of extensive research over the past year,” the report found.

“The likelihood of a severe space weather event is assessed to be moderate to high over the next five years, with the potential to cause damage to electrically conducting systems such as power grids, pipelines and signalling circuits.”

By Stewart Mitchell