Prospect of 'nuclear winter' looms
Growing number of nuclear powers threatens global climate
A small regional nuclear war could mean years of 'nuclear winter' for the entire globe, according to a new study.
Smoke emissions from a nuclear war would block out the sun and cool the Earth, Rutgers University professor Alan Robock told the American Geophysical Union annual meeting on Dec. 11.
The San Francisco conference room heard a detailed doomsday scenario, thanks to an international research project. Researchers used computer simulations for volcano eruptions to see what might happen to Earth's climate if nuclear powers should launch their arms.
If one in every 3,000 nukes were to detonate in a relatively short time period, the globe's average temperatures would drop. Even a nuclear conflict in Asia would impact North America's and Europe's climate.
"While there is a perception that a nuclear ‘build-down’ by the world’s major powers in recent decades has somehow resolved the global nuclear threat, a more accurate portrayal is that we are at a perilous crossroads," said co-author Owen Toon in a statement.
"Nations like Pakistan, India and North Korea, which have the potential of detonating 50 relatively small nuclear weapons, are as dangerous as the Soviet Union used to be. I think the world’s politicians need to pay closer attention to the path we all are headed down," he added.
One of the authors of the report, "Climatic Consequences of Regional Nuclear Conflicts" coined the term "nuclear winter" during past work. The scientists make clear their concern that nuclear weapons are becoming a more popular commodity.
Copious amounts of smoke billowing into the atmosphere is not unheard of in recent history. The Gulf War resulted in over 50 million metric tons of smoke being released into the atmosphere - mostly from oil fields being burned. Studies differ on how that impacted the environment.
The Tambora Volcano eruption of 1815 in Indonesia had more clear world-wide effects. It led to crop loss and famine in Europe, in a year that became known as "The Year Without a Summer."
