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roshima-sized bombs. A
single
Hi–
roshima bomb kílled between
100,000 and 200,000 people.
Two estimates gave the death
toll from inítial blast, heat and ra–
díation as a mínimum of 750 mil–
lion people, using 1983 population
estimates. A like number would be
injured. Almost half of the popula–
tion could become casualtíes in the
flrst few hours
after the buttons
had been pushed.
Social Disruption
Electricity, gas, fue! would be
essentially unavailable.
Transportation would be
nonexistent-no planes,
no trains, trucks or cars
in service. Food deliveríes
would virtually cease.
Communications net–
works cut and silenced.
Municipal water supplies
destroyed or contami–
nated.
Medica! care would be
effectively unavailable at
a time when it would be
most intensely needed. For
example, there would be
no material for bone mar–
row transplants and no
doctors to do the trans–
planting. Those poisoned
by radiation, but still alive, would
slowly die.
Virtually all cities- the keystone
of industrial society and its most
vulnerable component--could be
vaporized.
Humans would cry out for help,
but there would be no savior to
come to the rescue. All that we
have come to rely on would simply
cease to exist. The survival of hu–
manity' s scattered and injured
remnants, in the temperate zones
from Japan and China, across the
n, into Europe and
.lfá ,l"rr•o:~ the
Atlantic to North Amer–
ica, would be exceedingly precari–
ous or impossible.
Firestorms, Smog, Radioactivity
Huge and widespread wildfires
would have devastating effects on
trees, wildlife and green plants.
Cities would be destroyed com–
pletely by blast and raging fire–
storms. A late summer or early fall
war would lead to widespread
burn-off, then to catastrophic ero–
sion and flooding the following
rainy season.
Radioactive rain would destroy
fish and fauna, pollute water.
Crops and livestock would be poi–
soned. In places, soil could be
heated by firestorms and wildfires
to the point of killing dormant
seeds in the earth, making regener–
ation of plant life impossi–
ble.
Burning cities wo uld
produce vast clouds of
toxic chemicals: vinyl chlo–
rides, nitrogen, sulfur ox–
ides, cyanides, dioxins,
furans and carbon
monoxide. The ozone
!ayer would be reduced by
vast quantities of nitrogen
oxide, dramatically in–
creasing ultraviolet radia–
tion . Human and animal
blindness could be one
consequence. Compro–
mised immune systems,
another effect, would help
pave the way for dísease
epidemics.
Cold, Darkness, Plant Life
Immense clouds of chemi–
cals, dust, soot and ashes
would temporarily block
out the sun's visible
rays. Photosynthesis
would be dramatically
reduced. Without this
activity, animals and
humans could not live.
We are all ultimately
dependent on green
plants for survival, as are
nimals.
If
war occurred be–
fore or during the
growing season, virtu–
ally all land plants and
most annual crops would be de-
stroyed.
~
Domestic and wild animal popu-
~
lations could be wiped out by
i
blast, wildfires, radiation, lack of "
food and the growing icy chill. A
¡¡;
nucJear war could alter the climate
~
of the entire Northern Hemisphere.
~
The climate could shift dramatically •
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