How would Yellowstone or Toba erupting effect the national budget?

[Incodcito]

So, if you guys don't know, yellowstone national park is actually one of the biggest active super-volcanos in the world. It will Erupt sometime in the future, most likely in tens of thousands of years.

Toba on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra is possibly the only supervolcano bigger than Yellowstone in the world. When last it erupted 76,000 years ago or so. It lowered global temperature on earth by about 10 degrees for a decade, possibly causing a severe bottleneck in the population of Homo Sapiens on Earth.

So right now America is in economic peril, would the eruption of one of these Volcanos help us? And if not, what would they do to us in terms of national budget?

Here's my view:

Yellowstone: Would definately not help. It would destroy probably 3 states and cover half the USA in a layer of thick ash.

However, it would provide new jobs in construction(because we have to rebuild the blown up crap) and other sectors.


Toba: Like Yellowstone, it would cause mass hunger+death over the earth. However, like WWII, Asia and Europe would be harder hit because of their proximity to Toba and would have to borrow aid and money from us(assuming we weren't dying of hunger ourselves).

This could make us a creditor nation again?

If I read in the news that some guy tried to bomb Toba, I will know who it is.

 

[Archbob]

"They" were hunter-gatherers with much lower population densities. If something like this happened again, and it ended civilization as we know it, the only survivors would probably be the isolated groups that still know how to live off of hunting and gathering. So we should just send a bunch of boats to the Andaman Islands or wherever, teach them how to use them, and tell them to recolonize the planet in a few generations.

I disagree with this. I think the countries not immediately covered by ash would survive this. Lots of people will die but civilization will survive.

Because every single volcanic event from the same volcano is the same kind of thing every single time.[/

It depends on the wind currents, 76,000 years is pretty short when talking about geological time.

 

[civ_king]

I disagree with this. I think the countries not immediately covered by ash would survive this. Lots of people will die but civilization will survive.



It depends on the wind currents, 76,000 years is pretty short when talking about geological time.

The massive temperature drop would inflict serious damage

 

[Archbob]

The massive temperature drop would inflict serious damage

Yeah, but unlike hunter-gatherers, we have greenhouses now days.

 

[civ_king]

Yeah, but unlike hunter-gatherers, we have greenhouses now days.

Do you realize how much food is grown outdoors and how fast temperatures would drop

 

[Archbob]

Do you realize how much food is grown outdoors and how fast temperatures would drop

Oh, I do, but America has the technology and will survive better than most countries. We export so much of our stuff. That will be cut.

 

[Tee Kay]

Oh, I do, but America has the technology and will survive better than most countries. We export so much of our stuff. That will be cut.

Good luck greenhousing the Midwest.

 

[civ_king]

Oh, I do, but America has the technology and will survive better than most countries. We export so much of our stuff. That will be cut.

Do you realize how expensive it would be to greenhouse hundreds of thousands of miles of farmland?

 

[Archbob]

Do you realize how expensive it would be to greenhouse hundreds of thousands of miles of farmland?

Oh, it would suck, but I think we could greenhouse(at least shield them) somewhat very quickly if this were to happen. When people are really united(like we haven't been since WW2), things get done 100x quicker. We would also stop exporting so much of the stuff we grow.

Yeah, I predict population would shrink, but Toba wouldn't hit the US as hard as the non-industrialized countries.

Besides, it will halt global warming for a while.

 

[Tee Kay]

This is a typical greenhouse:

This is what you'd be trying to cover:

Seriously?

 

[Archbob]

Well, you'd only need to cover part of that.

Corn, soybeans, vegetables, wheat oats. Alot of the stuff in the south, you'd be ok, without covering.

And stuff like Tobacoo? Who needs that?

 

[Karalysia]

And stuff like Tobacoo? Who needs that?

Do you really want to face millions of angered withdrawal facing ciggerate smokers in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?

 

[Archbob]

Do you really want to face millions of angered withdrawal facing ciggerate smokers in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?

I mean if you have to cover wheat or tobacco, you'd have to choose wheat.

 

[Karalysia]

I mean if you have to cover wheat or tobacco, you'd have to choose wheat.

Tobacco and Barley. And with the British the answer would be tea. It's even in their nuclear war plans to ensure sufficient rations of tea for survivors.