Page 19 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2014 Edition

When Technology Fails with Matthew Stein 400 Chernobyls: Solar Flares, EMP, and Nuclear Armageddon Continued from Page 18 Preventing Armageddon The congressionally mandated EMP Commission has studied the threat of both EMP and extreme GMD events, and made recommendations to the US congress to implement protective devices and procedures to insure the survival of the grid and other critical infrastructures in either event. John Kappenman, author of the Metatech study, estimates that it would cost on the order of $1 billion to build special protective devices into the US grid to protect its EHV transformers from EMP or extreme GMD damage, and to build stores of critical replacement parts should some of these items be damaged or destroyed. Kappenman estimates that it would cost significantly less than $1 billion to store at least a year’s worth of diesel fuel for backup generators at each US nuclear facility and to store sets of critical spare parts, such as backup or extreme GMD. If our country were to (big shake up to his scientific “Billiard Ball generators, inside EMP-hardened steel implement safeguards to protect our grid and Theory of the Universe” way of thinking). Over containers to be available for quick change-out nuclear power plants from EMP, it would also the years, this interest expanded to the use of in the event that any of these items were eliminate the primary incentive for a terrorist to herbs, homeopathy, and other alternatives to damaged by an EMP or GMD. launch an EMP attack. The sooner we take these heal medical conditions that weren’t responding To me, this is a no-brainer. For the cost actions the less chance that an EMP attack will to western style medicine. of a single B-2 bomber or a tiny fraction of the occur! Eventually he and his wife Josie TARP bank bailout, we could invest in wandered farther into the mountains to Truckee, preventative measures to avert what might well ABOUT THE AUTHOR where have their current home in the High become the end of our civilization and life as we Sierra Mountains of California (Truckee is know it! There is no way to protect against all Author, engineer, designer, and green builder, where the Donner Party had their infamous possible effects from an extreme GMD or an Mat Stein was born and raised in Burlington barbecue about 150 years ago). About a decade EMP attack, but certainly we could implement Vermont. His parents started him walking on back, they took a three year break from the deep measures to protect against the worst effects. skis at age three, hiking at age 5, backpacking at Sierra snows to build energy efficient and Since 2008, Congress has narrowly failed to age seven, hunting at age 10, rock climbing and environmentally friendly homes on Maui. The pass legislation that would implement at least extreme skiing at age 11. The Green mountains engineer, carpenter, and backwoodsman sides of some of the EMP Commission’s of Vermont, White mountains of New Mat found peace, harmony, and synergy recommendations. Hampshire, and the Adirondack’s of upstate through renewable energy, green building, and For more than 50 years, the US Army New York were his four-season childhood play self-reliance. Today, Mat owns and operates Corps of Engineers knew that New Orleans was grounds. After graduating from MIT in 1978, Stein Design and Construction, providing a disaster waiting to happen, and they made where he majored in Mechanical Engineering, product design services, engineering analysis, plans for rebuilding the aging system of the lure of the “real mountains” of the west and green building. inadequate levies, but those plans were never drew Mat across the country to California. It was a true epiphany that started Mat implemented. Have we learned nothing from Always enjoying work with his hands, firmly on the path of self-reliance, emergency the wholly preventable flooding of New and being outside in the wilderness, Mat found prep, and sustainability. Around Thanksgiving Orleans? Will we continue to ignore facts and it stifling to go to work as a design engineer in of 1997, during his morning session of prayer pretend that “everything will be OK” while our Silicon Valley, pushing pencils day after day. and meditation, in answer to a simple request world drifts towards the next inevitable extreme So, he took breaks from engineering off-and-on for “guidance and inspiration”, Mat received a GMD, or until some terrorist organization or for several years to be a carpenter, climb the fully developed “story board” type of pictorial rogue state launches an EMP attack? This time, vertical walls of Yosemite, and teach skiing and outline that popped into his head failure to prepare will not just mean the loss of High School math. In the mid eighties, after lots instantaneously. It was the outline for a massive a major city, but the end of the industrialized of stress and lost hair, he bailed from designing handbook to help people be more self-reliant, world as we know it, along with incalculable disc drives in Silicon Valley to a ten-acre live more sustainably, and prepare to weather suffering, death, and environmental destruction. homestead in the foothills of the Sierras. Mat the coming storms as we pass through this age We have a long ways to go to make our has built hurricane and earthquake resistant, of uncertainty and change. After three years of world EMP and GMD safe. Every citizen can do energy efficient, environmentally friendly work, this “cosmic download” crystallized into their part to push for legislation to move homes. He has also designed, among other his first book, When Technology Fails. towards this goal, and to work inside our homes things, consumer water filtration devices, solar Stein has appeared on numerous radio and communities to develop local resilience and PV roofing panels, medical bacteriological and television programs and is a repeat guest.He self reliance, so that in the event of a long term filters, emergency chemical drench systems, has also written several articles on the subject of grid-down scenario, we might make the most of computer disk drives, and portable fiberglass sustainable living and is a guest columnist for a bad situation. The same tools that are buildings. the Huffington Post. espoused by the “Transition Movement” for A thirty year interest in alternative developing local self-reliance and resilience to healing got its start while Mat was still a For More Information On help cope with the twin effects of climate freshman at MIT, when he witnessed the change and peak oil could also serve miraculous remote healing of a crippled friend Matthew Stein Visit communities well in the event of an EMP attack www.whentechfails.com