Global Thermal Nuclear War
No discussion of nuclear power can be undertaken without mentioning the frightening prospect of global thermal nuclear war. This is particularly true given current events in the world.
Global Thermal Nuclear War
Global thermal nuclear war has always been referred to as the doomsday of mankind. It is a war of revenge with no discernable victory scenario. The reason victory by one side or another is highly unlikely has to do with the widespread environmental devastation that would occur. This includes the possibility of a nuclear winter where the sun was blocked out and all life died.
The idea of a global thermal nuclear war arose during the cold war between the United States and former Soviet Union. Technically known as a global thermo nuclear war, it came about when people started analyzing what would happen if the countries undertook a full blown war. Both countries were armed to the gills with nuclear weapons. It didn’t take scientist long to conclude that the detonation of most of these weapons would radically impact the planet.
After doing the analysis, scientist presented the idea of a nuclear winter to a horrified world. Nuclear winter refers to how the world would appear after a global thermal nuclear war. Scientists concluded that nuclear explosions, particularly over cities, would throw up so much soot, smoke and dust that our atmosphere would change radically. So much would be thrown into the atmosphere that sunlight would be effectively blocked. Temperatures would drop as much as 30 degrees and the food chain would fail as critical links in the chain died off. Simply put, global thermal nuclear war would lead to hell on earth.
Although the United States and Soviet Union came close to war, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis, they never took the step. Simply put, both countries determined a global thermal nuclear war would result in mutually assured destruction. In a twisted bit of humor, this policy became known as “MAD” and kept the countries from going to war more than a few times.
Currently, the specter of a global thermal nuclear war is back on the radar screen. Israel is known to have nuclear weapons. Iran is in the process of developing them, if it doesn’t already have them. If these two bitter enemies go to war, the United States and Russia will have to decide how far they are willing to go to back their allies. Keep in mind it was a local conflict like this that started World War I.