A study conducted by Rutgers University warned that more than five billion people would starve to death in the event of a massive nuclear war between Russia and the United States.
Climate scientists at Rutgers University have warned that the consequences of such a struggle for food production would be catastrophic.
Professor Alan Roebuck, one of the study’s authors, said: “The data show one thing: nuclear war must be absolutely avoided.”
The study, published in the journal Nature Food, found that it would block the fall of the sun’s rays and cause firestorms caused by nuclear weapons explosions.
The study examined six scenarios involving nuclear arsenals of varying sizes, five based on smaller conflicts between India and Pakistan, and one based on a war between the United States and Russia.
The study reported that even the smallest scenario would cause famine, with average global food production falling by 7 percent in the five years after conflict.
In the event of a large-scale nuclear conflict, average global food production would drop by 90 percent three to four years after the war.
The severe reduction of the crop will lead to the starvation of billions of people, i.e. 75% of the world’s population, within two years.
Although the study focused only on the amount of calories produced globally, humans also need proteins and micronutrients to survive and are also likely to be significantly affected.
“A nuclear war would have a greater impact on climate change,” said Lily Zia, a research associate professor at Rutgers University.
“We need to understand the impact on the food supply,” he added.
The study does not consider other aspects of the global food supply that would be affected by a nuclear war, including the availability of fuel and fertilizer.
Such a war may also affect food production infrastructure and increase ultraviolet radiation, which can affect food production as well as lead to radioactive contamination.
Source: Lebanon Debate
