From everything I've read this is very much a real potential. Seems to me that my high school earth sciences teacher discussed this as a possible outcome of solar storms back in '67. If we experienced a flux of our magnetic alignment (thought to be highly solar dependent) everything we know as modern life would stop.

Well that will solve a lot of problems. Over population, which to "global warming/climate change" activists will fix the environment and no need for much of an economy, the whole world has returned to cave-man days, so bartering will return also.

The end is nigh...

so this is the kind of nonsense they spend money on researching