Environmental Consequences of Nuclear War (v. 2)

SCOPE 28 is a comprehensive and interdisciplinary appraisal of current scientific knowledge of the possible environmental consequences of a nuclear war. Leading scientists present a consensus as to the effects on climate, ecosystems and food supply which might follow a major nuclear exchange. The authors assess the likely magnitude of changes in sunlight, temperature, precipitation, atmospheric chemistry, ionizing radiation, ultra-violet radiation, plant and animal growth and resultant agricultural productivity. The delicate ecological balance of the globe and the likely points of environmental disruption are considered purely in terms of their vulnerability to this particular threat. Volume Two uses the models proposed in volume One to examine the knock on effect to animal and plant ecology particularly with respect to agriculture. These effects in combination with the disruption to "civilised" life are then synthesised into estimates of the vulnerability of world food production.