Topic: Starfish

An ecological emergency is unfolding off the coast of California where purple sea urchins have decimated 90% of the kelp forests. The population explosion is attributed to warming waters and a disease that wiped out starfish, the urchins' natural predator. Current regulations limit harvesting to manual collection, which volunteers argue is insufficient to manage the billions of urchins present.

The discussion turns to the "GRID Act" in Congress and historical EMP events like the 1962 Starfish Prime test and the 1989 Quebec solar storm. The hosts debate whether the decentralized nature of the U.S. power grid makes it more or less vulnerable to a total blackout. They conclude that the Carnival Splendor incident is being "swept under the rug" to avoid public panic about infrastructure security.

The EMP Commission is assessing the threat of high-altitude electromagnetic pulse attacks that could devastate the U.S. power grid. Vulnerabilities in the "smart grid" and fly-by-wire systems, such as those in Airbus aircraft, are of particular concern. Historical tests like Project Starfish demonstrated the destructive potential of EMPs on civilian electronics.