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Global food insecurity and famine from reduced crop, marine fishery and livestock production due to climate disruption from nuclear war soot injection

Environmental Studies and Forestry

Global food insecurity and famine from reduced crop, marine fishery and livestock production due to climate disruption from nuclear war soot injection

L. Xia, A. Robock, et al.

This research explores the catastrophic impacts of nuclear weapon-induced atmospheric soot on global food production, revealing a grim outcome: over 2 billion lives at risk from a conflict between India and Pakistan, and more than 5 billion from a war between the United States and Russia. Conducted by prominent authors such as Lili Xia and Alan Robock, this study underscores the urgent need for global cooperation to prevent nuclear war.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Atmospheric soot loadings from nuclear weapon detonation would cause disruptions to the Earth's climate, limiting terrestrial and aquatic food production. Here, we use climate, crop and fishery models to estimate the impacts arising from six scenarios of stratospheric soot injection, predicting the total food calories available in each nation post-war after stored food is consumed. In quantifying impacts away from target areas, we demonstrate that soot injections larger than 5 Tg would lead to mass food shortages, and livestock and aquatic food production would be unable to compensate for reduced crop output, in almost all countries. Adaptation measures such as food waste reduction would have limited impact on increasing available calories. We estimate more than 2 billion people could die from nuclear war between India and Pakistan, and more than 5 billion could die from a war between the United States and Russia—underlining the importance of global cooperation in preventing nuclear war.
Publisher
Nature Food
Published On
Aug 15, 2022
Authors
Lili Xia, Alan Robock, Kim Scherrer, Cheryl S. Harrison, Benjamin Leon Bodirsky, Isabelle Weindl, Jonas Jägermeyr, Charles G. Bardeen, Owen B. Toon, Ryan Heneghan
Tags
climate impact
nuclear war
food shortages
soot injection
global cooperation
food production
caloric availability
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