As tensions between Russia, the West and China have increased, the threat of nuclear war feels uncomfortably real.
Researchers found that nuclear war would not only be catastrophic for the countries involved but also the rest of the globe. This could result in global famine causing 5 billion deaths.
In a paper published by the Nature FoodJournal, The peer-reviewed study found that a full-scale nuclear attack would pose a threat to food security and cause billions of starvation.
Deepak K. Ray, from the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, wrote the paper. He explained that the soot from a radioactive nuclear exchange would block the sun’s rays and prevent crops from growing.
The temperature would plummet as well, sending large areas of the globe into a so called nuclear winter.
The study involved the testing of climate models that simulate six nuclear war scenarios. This was done to assess what the effects would be on agricultural production, trade, and other aspects.
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The study found that 75% of the world’s population would starve within 2 years in such a scenario. All countries, except Australia and certain nations in Africa or South America, would be affected.
They also showed what would happen in terms of agricultural production and trade if there was a nuclear war between India & Pakistan.
The result could still be disastrous in such a case as nearly two billion people could die from famine.
Crop declines are most common in countries at mid-high latitude, including Russia and the USA, who both export goods to Africa and the Middle East.
Much like what happened around 66 million years ago when an asteroid wiped out about three-quarters of all species on Earth, many who weren’t directly impacted at the impact would have succumbed to starvation. Researchers predict that nuclear war would produce a similar grim result.
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