Article Author:
Washington Post
Marina Lopes, The Washington Post
Between Russia and the United States, according to a study led by Rutgers University About two-thirds of the world could starve to death in the event of a nuclear war, a study released Monday. A nuclear war would lead to a "catastrophic" disruption of food supplies as soot and ash that block the sun around the world kill crops, researchers wrote in a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Nature Food.
Even a small-scale nuclear war between Pakistan and India would devastate food supplies, reduce global production by 7% within five years, and reduce global production by up to 25%. would kill a billion people. Research predicts that food insecurity in these cases is more deadly than a nuclear explosion.
"What this data tells us is that we must prevent nuclear war," study co-author climate scientist Alan Robock said in a statement. Stated.
Researchers have examined how wind patterns spread smoke and fire from a nuclear attack and cloud skies over major food exporters such as the United States and China. This would reduce yields, and within four years of a conflict between major nuclear powers, the world's animal, fishery and crop yields could be reduced by 90%.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and increased Chinese military exercises near Taiwan have reignited fears of a nuclear conflict. After war broke out in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his nuclear forces were "combat-ready", voicing fears of a possible nuclear war with the West 30 years after the end of the Cold War. provoked. (Russian officials later tried to soften Putin's warnings.)
China has recently conducted a number of exercises around Taiwan following the visit of US lawmakers to the island. Instability in the Taiwan Strait comes as Western experts warn Beijing is accelerating its nuclear buildup.
Nuclear war would exacerbate existing threats to food security. Global food production has already been severely disrupted by climate change, the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic. A record 345 million people worldwide are facing food insecurity, according to the World Food Program, an increase of nearly 200 million from pre-pandemic levels.
In response, countries such as India and Malaysia have restricted wheat and poultry exports. The fear of global conflict, whether or not nuclear weapons may be involved, and the resulting food insecurity, may cause countries to further restrict exports or hoard food supplies.
"The psychological impact can be greater than the actual damage," says William, a food science professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University and head of government-affiliated food safety programs. Chen said.
He added that countries need to diversify their food sources away from traditional agriculture to prepare for greater global instability. Mushroom farming, indoor farming, insect protein production, or microalgae foods may offer alternatives.
"They don't require that much space," Chen says. Told. "They can be grown in your kitchen or basement and are less dependent on nuclear warfare environments."
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