'I've Studied Nuclear War For 35 Years'

[Khandro]

Talk of nuclear war & even threats of it are becoming commonplace of late, largely due to the Kremlin's resident maniac. But how many of us really understand what even a 'small' nuclear war would actually entail. Curious? well watch this 15 minute TED talk to find out the reality, & btw it was made 5 years ago.

[Zacs-Master]

And there’s a map here showing an approximation of the effect of a nuclear weapon on your nearest city. As terrible as they are, I think there’s a popular misconception about the area affected being very large. Of course, there’s the effects of wind blown radiation to consider as well.

[Zacs-Master]

https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

[ichkeria]

A lot depends on the weapon, from the smallest tactical warheads to the big bouncy Russian thing that supposedly takes out 15 cities with separate warheads.

[Khandro]

Zacs. That's a very silly website.

[Zacs-Master]

Is it? Why?

[Khandro]

It's no doubt made by some geek in a bedroom wearing a baseball cap back to front.
Watch the video for the reality of even a 'small' nuclear device. This was made before the present crisis, & an example is given of just one weapon being used between either India or Pakistan against one another.

[Khandro]

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Toon

[Ringlet]

I'm a head-in-the-sand kind of person. I haven't looked at your links to websites.
But I just want to say that the usernames I see beside the comments on this thread are usernames that I respect and indeed admire for their knowledge and understanding of many diverse issues that have been discussed on Answerbank.
But this time, Zacs, Ichkeria and Khandro have managed unwittingly to upset me not so much by the information they are giving, but the seeming casualness with which the awfulness of nuclear war is discussed.
I know that casual is likely not the way any of you feel about the prospect of nuclear war, but all discussions of it that speak about the possible areas of destruction seem to me to be totally accepting of a grim and unthinkable future for life on this planet.
I simply could not discuss the possibility of nuclear war without emotional collapse, and I am crying just typing this message.
Please understand that this is not a criticism. I know that the issue has to be discusssed. But I am simply trying to tell someone the way I feel and hope that you will understand the despair that I feel.

[davebro]

Awful has it would be - truly horrendous - global nuclear war wiping out much of humanity could be a "re-set" button for the planet (as could a natural event such as an asteroid strike or Yellowstone eruption) .
Starting again with whatever life forms survive & evolve, as has happened in the past.

[Zacs-Master]

Khandro, if you studied the link at all, you’d see that the website was made by Alex Wellerstein, a historian of science and nuclear weapons and a professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Revised your rather unnecessarily dismissive response?

[Khandro]

Ringlet, I'm sorry that the subject upsets you, but none of the named, I'm certain, take the subject casually. The reason I brought it to attention is precisely that people in the media are beginning to talk about nuclear war as if it was an option, not a deterrent.

I take issue with Zac's map for that very reason, & not with him.

[Khandro]

Zacs, Crossed posts:
No baseball cap, but still imo a geek of the first order. As is anyone who would make detailed maps of the extant of destruction from any particular central location, as if outside of that, all will be spared.

[bednobs]

"my expert is more of an expert expert than your expert"

[Khandro]

It's about common sense, not expertise.
Chernobyl was 'only' a disaster in a nuclear plant, nothing like a bomb, & yet sheep on the Welsh mountains were found to have radioactivity in their fleece.
Making maps to supposedly demonstrate the extent of the destruction is grotesque.
Still, I see Mr Wellerstein is a millionaire several times over so someone must be reading him.

[Zacs-Master]

Pass me that shovel, Khandro. Time to stop digging.

[New Judge]

//...& yet sheep on the Welsh mountains were found to have radioactivity in their fleece.//

Came from mobile phone masts. :-)

[sandyRoe]

There was a leak from the Sellafield/Windscale nuclear plant in the 1950s. It could have led to a spike in the number of adult leukemia cases in following years in Ireland.
There are no winners in a nuclear war.

[naomi24]

Khandro, you seem to be contradicting yourself. You ask the question, '...how many of us really understand what even a 'small' nuclear war would actually entail', and then say 'Making maps to supposedly demonstrate the extent of the destruction is grotesque.'

If you find the result of research offered in an easily understood manner, grotesque, how do you ever expect those who haven't researched it to understand what even a small nuclear war would entail? Maps are surely useful in informing us what would happen - should it happen. No?

[Ken4155]

I recall the Daily Mirror printing a map of the UK and the effects a nuclear attack would have on us. This was sometime in the 80s and though Burnley would never be a direct target, we would (according to the map) suffer 3rd degree burns from about 5 other targets:-(

[jno]

you can play around on this, Ken

https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

Looks like a Tsar Bomba strike hitting the Shard would send radiation as far as Burnley with a favourable wind