If you think that Coronavirus is the only reason to worry about food starvation or source of famine in the world, think again. In a recently released study, researchers found out that the world food crisis might happen even only after five years once a nuclear war starts between countries. This means that if countries continue to battle with each other and even using only 1 per cent of their global arsenal, the world would be a living hell.
Effects of Nuclear War: Worse than any viruses in the world!
Imagine if powerful countries like the United States of America, Russia, or North Korea turn themselves against each other and launch a nuclear war. What would happen next?
According to Daily Mail UK, a drastic drop in all markets in the world will soon happen once a nuclear war starts. The food availability would be reduced by more than 20 per cent in 71 countries, with a total population of about 1.3 million; poor communities and countries will be much poorer, and climactic effects would be so terrible that people might die due to the black smoke that arsenals would bring to the world.
This is what the researchers from NASA and the University of Chicago found out when they studied about the global effects of nuclear war once occurred. Even though nuclear wars can only happen between countries joining the war, the impact of the war would be damaging to all neighbouring countries and worse, to the whole world.
"We now know that nuclear conflict would not just be a terrible tragedy in the region where it happens - it is also an underestimated risk for global food security," said Jonas Jaegermeyr at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and the University of Chicago.
Global famine is expected to come once nuclear war happens
As explained, arsenals and bombs used in nuclear wars have a significant effect on the climate and temperature. These weapons release five trillion tons of black carbon into the atmosphere. By then, the temperature would be 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit and precipitation would fall by eight per cent for over five years.
This black smoke will then cover the sun and will make a devastating change to the agricultural sector in all countries. Food reserves would be helpful during the one to two years of the nuclear war but will not last for at least five years. In the fifth year, the world will have a food shortage and exporting food will be limited since it is expected for all countries to close borders to protect their citizens.
"As horrible as the direct effects of nuclear weapons would be, more people could die outside the target areas due to famine, simply because of indirect climatic effects," said co-author Alan Robock at Rutgers University.
