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Nuclear Famine: The Global Climate Effects of Regional Nuclear War

Learn about the catastrophic impacts of nuclear war on global climate and food supplies, with 1 billion casualties and lasting effects. Discover the need to prevent nuclear war and redirect resources toward health and development.

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Nuclear Famine: The Global Climate Effects of Regional Nuclear War

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  1. Nuclear Famine: The Global Climate Effects of Regional Nuclear War International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  2. Nuclear War and Africa • Nuclear war does not have to happen in a country to have catastrophic impact on that country • Global climate disruption from a nuclear war anywhere on Earth would affect food supplies and food costs worldwide • 1 billion casualties of “nuclear famine” • Even without nuclear war, spending on nuclear weapons drains resources needed for health and development International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  3. Climate Consequences of Regional Nuclear War Scenario 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs detonated over cities in India and Pakistan International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  4. Climate Consequences of Regional Nuclear War • 20 million fatalities • Extensive radioactive fallout • Global climate effects lasting a decade or more International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  5. Climate Consequences of Regional Nuclear War • Nuclear explosions ignite fires that burn whole cities • Soot lofted high into the atmosphere absorbs incoming sunlight • Dramatic decrease in amount of light reaching the surface • Large, rapid drops in surface temperature International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  6. Global climate change unprecedented in recorded human history Graph courtesy of Alan Robock

  7. Chart courtesy of Alan Robock

  8. Chart courtesy of Alan Robock

  9. Tambora Volcano • Erupted April 1815 • -0.7 degrees C temperature drop • Dramatic shortening of growing season International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  10. Nuclear War: The Impact on Agriculture • Sudden cooling, decreased sunlight, less rainfall shortens growing seasons; reduces crop yields • Stratospheric ozone depletiondamages crops sensitive to UV-B • Disruption of petroleum supplies affects use of farm machinery and fertilizer and pesticide production • Radioactive and toxic contaminationtakes farmland out of production • Collapse of distribution system International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  11. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  12. Chronic Malnutrition Today • 1,800-2,200 calories minimum daily requirement • 1 billion people at or below this level of daily intake • 20% acute malnutrition in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia • 1/3 children <5 malnourished in sub-Saharan Africa International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  13. Great Bengal Famine of 1943 • Food production declined only 5% • Actually 13% higher than 1941 • when there was no famine • 3 million people died International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  14. 1 billion dead from starvation alone? International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  15. Epidemic Disease • Plague • Cholera • Malaria • Typhus International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  16. …further use of nuclear weapons? International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  17. Surface Air Temperatures 2 years after 150 million tons of smoke enters stratosphere Decrease in Surface Air Temperatures 2 years after full-scale nuclear war

  18. Climate effects of a full-scale nuclear conflict

  19. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  20. International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  21. www.icanw.org International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

  22. For more information about nuclear famine, the medical and humanitarian consequences of nuclear war, and the ways to achieve a world without nuclear weapons: www.ippnw.org International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

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