LANGUAGE           English           Российский           עִברִית             中文         NUCLEAR WEAPONS EXPLAINEDHIROSHIMAGLOBAL NUCLEAR ARSENALHIGH-ALERT NUCLEAR WEAPONSWAR CONSEQUENCESSOLUTIONSSUPPORT THIS WEBSITEGlobal Warming vs. Global CoolingSmoke Surrounding the Earth after Large Nuclear WarSmoke from India-Pakistan nuclear warLow-Yield vs. High-Yield Nuclear WeaponsGlobal Nuclear ArsenalMushroom Cloud Size vs. YieldsNuclear Weapons in SizeSmoke Surounding the Earth after Nuclear WarReproduced/modified by permission of Drs. Robock, Oman and Stenchikov of Rutgers UniversityFollowing a large nuclear war, enormous fires created by nuclear explosions in cities cause 150 million tons of smoke to be lofted high above cloud level, into the stratosphere. The smoke quickly spreads around the world and forms a dense smoke layer which will remain in the stratosphere for many years and act to block sunlight from reaching the surface of the Earth.

Nuclear War threatens human existence

If 1% of the nuclear weapons now ready for war were detonated in large cities, they would utterlydevastate the environment, climate, ecosystems and inhabitants of Earth. A war fought with thousands of strategic nuclear weapons would leave the Earth uninhabitable.

Nuclear Famine

In a nuclear war, immense nuclear firestorms inburning cities would create millions of tons of thick, black, radioactive smoke. This smoke would rise above cloud level and quickly surround and engulf the entire Earth. The smoke would form a stratospheric smoke layer that would block sunlight from reaching the surface of Earth for a period of about ten years.Heated smoke in the stratosphere would cause massive destruction of the protective ozone layer. Huge amounts of harmful Ultraviolet light would penetrate the smoke and reach the surface of the Earth.Warming sunlight would be blocked by the smoke layer and cause the Earth to rapidly cool.  In a matter of days, Ice Age weather conditions would descend upon all peoples and nations.Prolonged cold, decreased sunlight and rainfall, and massive increases in harmful UV light would shorten or eliminate growing seasons for a decade or longer.  Nuclear faminewould result for the 800 million people who already suffering from hunger and malnutrition.A war fought with 1% of the deployed and operational nuclear weapons could cause up to a billion people to die from nuclear famine. A large nuclear war, fought with the nuclear arsenals of the U.S. and Russia, would surely kill most humans and many other complex forms of life on Earth.

Nuclear Haze

Nuclear war between India and Pakistan could put 5 million tons of smoke in the stratosphere and produce a globalNuclear Haze that would block 7-10% of warming sunlight from reaching the surface of Earth and cause the blue skies of Earth to appear grey.

Nuclear Twilight & Nuclear Darkness

The U.S and Russia keep more than 2000 strategic nuclear weapons on high-alert.  These weapons are 7 to 85 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. They are mounted on many hundreds of missiles that can be launched with 30 seconds to 3 minutes warning.Scientists predict that urban firestorms ignited by a nuclear war fought with 4400 US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons could loft 180 million tons of smoke into the stratosphere. The resulting global smoke layer would block 35% of sunlight from reaching the surface of the Southern Hemisphere, creating a Nuclear Twilight on Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere, 70% of sunlight would be absorbed by the stratospheric smoke layer. Beneath the smoke there would be Nuclear Darkness.Nuclear arsenals must be eliminated, because if they are left intact, they will eventually be used. Nuclear weapons must be outlawed, dismantled and abolished. A draft treaty, or Model Nuclear Weapons Convention, has been prepared by civil society organizations and submitted to the United Nations.  Nuclear weapon states are obligated (under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) to negotiate in good faith to achieve such a treaty to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. Read more about nuclear darkness Deadly Climate Change from Nuclear War

Reference Articles

17 FEB 2010Local Nuclear War, Global Suffering09 JAN 2010Research Papers - International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament06 OCT 2009Climatic consequences of regional nuclear conflicts04 OCT 2009Environmental Consequences of Nuclear war01 OCT 2009An Assessment of the Extent of Projected Global Famine Resulting from Limited, Regional Nuclear War

New Articles

06 SEP 2010Steven Starr on the overwhelming urgency of de-alerting U.S. & Russian missiles29 MAR 2010Confronting Nuclear War: The role of Education, Religion, and the Community14 MAR 2010New Terms for a Common Understanding of De-Alerting14 MAR 2010The climatic consequences of nuclear war02 JAN 2010Catastrophic Climatic Consequences of Nuclear Conflict - Revised Oct. 2009MORE LINKS HERE

City on Fire

by Lynn Eden

The US military underestimates by a factor of 4 to 25 times the prompt damage likely to be caused by its nuclear weapons, because it does not estimate damage which would be created by nuclear firestorms.read the article

Nuclear Firestorm Simulator

One strategic nuclear weapon exploded above a city will instantly ignite fires over a total area of tens or hundreds of square miles.Visualize the enormous firestorm created by a single nuclear weapon. Choose any city or your own address using Google maps.

War Consequences

Global Temperature dropMassive Ozone DepletionReduction of the growing season worldwideMore on war consequences in article "Deadly Climate Change from Nuclear War"

Solutions

The people of the world want to end the danger of suicidal nuclear war - they want nuclear weapons to be abolished and banned.Change launch on warning policyNuclear Weapons ConventionNo First Use of Nuclear Weapons+ MORE

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About Steven Starr

Steven Starr is an Associate member of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and has been published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. His writings appear on the websites of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies, Scientists for Global Responsibility, and the International Network of Scientists Against Proliferation.He has worked with the governments of Switzerland, Chile, New Zealand and Sweden, in support of their efforts at the United Nations to eliminate thousands of high-alert, launch-ready nuclear weapons. He has made presentations to Ministry Officials, Parliamentarians, Universities, citizens and students from around the world, and specializes in making technical scientific information understandable to all audiences.Mr. Starr is the Director of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia.Steven StarrInternational Consultant/Educator for Nuclear Disarmament (USA) Associate member, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation(USA) Senior Scientist, Physicians for Social ResponsibilityAbout Nuclear DarknessConditionsDonationsContactsCopyright 2014Alan Phillips