'Global catastrophe': A nuclear conflict would cause worldwide famine and, depending on its extent, kill more than 5 billion people from starvation, according to a new study.
The toll of nuclear war would be instantly catastrophic for those who are within the immediate path of the weapons. But a new study shows just how deadly the scope of such a war would be., published in Nature Food on Monday, as massive amounts of soot would block sunlight, disrupt climate systems and limit food production. Even a relatively small nuclear conflict, such as one between India and Pakistan, would be devastating, researchers found.
"While amounts of soot injection into the stratosphere from the use of fewer nuclear weapons would have smaller global impacts," researchers said in their article,"once a nuclear war starts, it may be very difficult to limit escalation." In the worst-case scenario, when 150 Tg of soot is unleashed, the global average calorie production from crops would decline by about 90% just three to four years after the nuclear war, the study found.
But not all nations of the world would face the same fate under the scenarios studied. Under the smallest nuclear war situation studied, researchers found that the Middle East, parts of Central America and parts of Asia would see some food deprivation to starving while most of the rest of the world would continue to have a normal food intake.