For the first time in decades, it’s hard to ignore the threat of nuclear war. But as long as you’re far from the blast, you’re safe, right? Wrong. In this sobering talk, atmospheric scientist Brian Toon explains how even a small nuclear war could destroy all life on earth — and what we can do to prevent it. A professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Brian Toon investigates the causes of the ozone hole, how volcanic eruptions alter the climate, how ancient Mars had flowing rivers, and the environmental impacts of nuclear war. He contributed to the U.N.’s Nobel Peace Prize for climate change and holds numerous scientific awards, including two NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. He is an avid woodworker. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7hOpT0lPGI
I learned a lot from this. If just India and Pakistan went at it, the dust would rise about 50-70 miles high, far higher up than the level where rain could bring it down. The dust would spread out across the planet.
Sunlight would be cut by perhaps 70%, and with earth having only a 60-day supply of food, starvation would ensue for about two billion people — far from India and Pakistan.
.
In a full-scale war between Russia and the US, about 4,000 large nukes would go off. 90% of the planet would starve from the nuclear winter.
Leave a Reply