Nuclear famine in the context of "Nuclear winter"

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⭐ Core Definition: Nuclear famine

Nuclear famine is a hypothesized famine considered a potential threat following global or regional nuclear exchange. It is thought that even subtle cooling effects resulting from a regional nuclear exchange could have a substantial impact on agriculture production, triggering a food crisis amongst the world's survivors.

While belief in the "nuclear winter" hypothesis is both popular and heavily debated, the issue of potential food supply disruption from blast and fallout effects following a nuclear war is less controversial. Several books have been written on the food supply issue, including Fallout Protection, Nuclear War Survival Skills, Would the Insects Inherit the Earth and Other Subjects of Concern to Those Who Worry About Nuclear War, and most recently the extreme nuclear winter and comet impact countermeasuring Feeding Everyone No Matter What.

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👉 Nuclear famine in the context of Nuclear winter

Nuclear winter is a severe and prolonged global climatic cooling effect that is hypothesized to occur after widespread urban firestorms following a large-scale nuclear war. The hypothesis is based on the fact that such fires can inject soot into the stratosphere, where it can block some direct sunlight from reaching the surface of the Earth. It is speculated that the resulting cooling, typically lasting a decade, would lead to widespread crop failure, a global nuclear famine, and an animal mass extinction event.

Climate researchers study nuclear winter via computer models and scenarios. Results are highly dependent on nuclear yields, weather and how many cities are targeted, their flammable material content, and the firestorms' atmospheric environments, convections, and durations. Firestorm case studies include the World War II bombings of Hiroshima, Tokyo, Hamburg, Dresden, and London, and modern observations from large-area wildfires such as the 2021 British Columbia wildfires.

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Nuclear famine in the context of Nuclear warfare

Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can produce destruction in a much shorter time and can have a long-lasting radiological result. A major nuclear exchange would likely have long-term effects, primarily from the fallout released, and could also lead to secondary effects, such as "nuclear winter", nuclear famine, and societal collapse. A global thermonuclear war with Cold War-era stockpiles, or even with the current smaller stockpiles, may lead to various scenarios including human extinction.

To date, the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict occurred in 1945 with the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6, 1945, a uranium gun-type device (code name "Little Boy") was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, a plutonium implosion-type device (code name "Fat Man") was detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Together, these two bombings resulted in the deaths of approximately 200,000 people and contributed to the surrender of Japan, which occurred before any further nuclear weapons could be deployed.

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Nuclear famine in the context of Nuclear war

Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can produce destruction in a much shorter time and can have a long-lasting radiological result. A nuclear exchange would likely have long-term effects, primarily from the fallout released, and could also lead to secondary effects, such as "nuclear winter", nuclear famine, and societal collapse. A global thermonuclear war with Cold War-era stockpiles, or even with the current smaller stockpiles, may lead to various scenarios including human extinction.

As of 2025, the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict was the United States atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and 9, 1945, in the final days of World War II. The two bombings resulted in the deaths of between 150,000 and 246,000 people. A debate continues over ethical, legal, and military aspects of the bombings, including their role in the surrender of Japan.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Nuclear winter ← Nuclear warfare ← Nuclear war
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Hypothesis → Nuclear warfare → Nuclear winter → Nuclear winter → Fallout Protection → Nuclear War Survival Skills → Philip J. Dolan → Impact winter → Feeding Everyone No Matter What →