The Business Press – June 29, 2023 at 06:00PM
In recent times, the specter of a U.S.-Russia nuclear war has captured our collective attention. But have we truly grasped the gravity of such a cataclysmic event? How would our chances of survival be influenced by our geographical location amidst the explosions, radiation, and nuclear winter?
This pressing question comes into sharp focus amidst the backdrop of escalating nuclear tensions and recent events in Russia. To shed light on this distressing topic, a team of esteemed scientists from diverse fields has meticulously crafted a scientifically realistic simulation of a nuclear war, utilizing only unclassified data. This simulation has been thoughtfully transformed into a video, allowing us to bear witness to the devastating consequences that can arise from our precarious circumstances.
Video source: Future of Life
As depicted in the video, the initiator of the war holds little significance. Once one side launches nuclear missiles, the opposing party swiftly detects them and responds in kind before they reach their intended targets. Within approximately 10 minutes, ballistic missiles from U.S. submarines positioned west of Norway begin striking Russia, followed shortly by Russian missiles from north of Canada hitting the United States. In the crucial initial strikes, the electro-magnetic pulse created fries electronics and power grids, subjecting them to tens of thousands of volts per meter. Subsequent strikes strategically target command-and-control centers and nuclear launch facilities. The intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from land-based locations take roughly 30 minutes to reach their designated destinations.
Major cities have become prime targets due to both their military importance and the desire to impede the enemy’s recovery in the aftermath. Each impact sends forth a searing fireball, rivalling the immense heat of the sun’s core, which then gives rise to a radioactive mushroom cloud. These intense explosions vaporize individuals in close proximity and ignite fires, causing blindness and havoc at a distance. The expanding fireball generates a destructive blast wave, leveling buildings and crushing those in their vicinity. To fulfill their obligations under NATO’s Article 5, the United Kingdom and France, possessing their own nuclear capabilities, also attract Russia’s attention. Firestorms rapidly engulf numerous cities as storm-level winds fan the flames, igniting anything in their path. Glass melts, metals transform into molten remnants, and even asphalt turns into a flammable hot liquid.
Alas, the dire consequences don’t end with explosions, the electromagnetic pulse, or radioactivity. Rather, research indicates that the gravest outcome stems from the black carbon smoke emanating from nuclear firestorms. While the atomic bomb in Hiroshima caused a firestorm, our modern hydrogen bombs possess far greater destructive power. A city as immense as Moscow, with nearly fifty times the population of Hiroshima, generates copious amounts of smoke, creating a firestorm that propels plumes of black smoke high into the stratosphere, far beyond the reach of rain clouds that could wash away the remnants. This smoke, akin to a hot air balloon, lingers for up to a decade, propelled by the sun’s heat. The high-altitude jet streams disperse the smoke across a substantial portion of the northern hemisphere within just a few days.
Consequently, even during the summer, Earth plunges into a bone-chilling frigidity. Farmland in regions like Kansas experiences a cooling of approximately 20 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit), while certain areas suffer even more drastic drops. A recent scientific study approximates that over 5 billion people could perish due to famine, including an astonishing 99% of those residing in the United States, Europe, Russia, and China. The majority of the black carbon smoke remains confined to the Northern hemisphere, where it originates, and the temperature declines exert a greater impact on high-latitude agriculture.
While acknowledging the significant uncertainties that persist, it is crucial to acknowledge that the actual humanitarian fallout could be either better or worse. This underscores the need for cautious deliberation. A newly launched $4 million open research program aspires to enhance public understanding and foster a global policy conversation. This undertaking aims to confront the gaps in human knowledge, given that existing research on this topic primarily focuses on military aspects, relegating humanitarian concerns to the classified realm.
The potential devastation of a nuclear war leaves no room for winners, only losers. Although one may feel powerless in the face of this grim reality, there is, however, a way to contribute to averting such a catastrophic future: please share this video widely. The gradual escalation and the possibility of accidental or miscalculated actions leading to nuclear conflict emphasize the urgency of raising awareness. The more people are informed about nuclear war, the greater our chances of preventing it altogether.
The Business Press 