Sometimes Nature disrupts us more than it ever has

[Chuck]

Natural phenomena have laid bare the fact that the networks that power our economy are both fragile and really expensive to duplicate.

Daniel Gross - NEWSWEEK - Apr 23, 2010

One minor volcano humbles us all. --Ed.

...A hundred years ago, even 30 years ago, an eruption from Iceland wouldn't have affected menus in Florence or the ability of autoworkers in Tennessee to assemble cars. But things have changed. The just-in-time mentality dictates that factories and retailers build super-efficient, lengthy supply chains and keep as little capital and warehouse space as possible tied up in inventory. Globalization has meant that companies source components and products from all over the world. The upshot: when there's a small disruption anywhere, the machinery of global capitalism slows down. And when there's a disruption in Europe, look out. The slow-growing region is actually a highly globalized economic powerhouse. "Europe is the biggest exporter in the world and the second-biggest importer," Eric Chaney, chief economist at AXA Group, told The Wall Street Journal. And while container ships are the workhorses of global trade, plenty of really valuable stuff crosses the Atlantic in airliner cargo bays. By Tuesday, with flights from Europe having been canceled for a few days, the automaker Nissan suspended some production at factories in Japan. They were lacking pneumatic sensors made in Ireland.... [Read More]

[fuzzy]

"In theory, flights from the U.S. to India via London could have been rerouted through airports in Africa. But Dakar's airport can't possibly afford to maintain extra runways and keep air controllers and ground crews on call so they can be called into action the next time Heathrow shuts down. "

Bad example, he is still thinking inside the box. Routes through Hong Kong, or Tokyo, or Seoul, are already supported with very modern high capacity facilities.

[Tochatihu]

Indeed global technology has become quite ash-sensitive. When the next big coronal mass ejection swings past Earth, I think we'll all be surprised by the amount of things that 'unpredictably' will fail.

Read about the 1859 Carrington flare:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news...rringtonflare/

DAS