Space weather is a general term describing conditions in space that affect the Earth and our technological systems. Geomagnetic storms, which can not only cripple the electrical grid but also corrode oil and gas pipelines, are only one aspect of space weather.
Solar flares can disrupt radio communication, aviation communication, and navigation, and they can interfere with the GPS signals used in our positioning and timing technologies.
One perhaps under-addressed risk is a cascading interruption in energy supply. Even a short-term electrical power outage can create a shortage in oil supply because oil refineries depend on electrical power from the grid. A refinery can take up to several days to recover from an electric power outage.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
