About two-thirds of the world could starve to death in the event of a nuclear war between Russia and the United States, according to a Rutgers University study published Monday. Nuclear conflict would lead to “catastrophic” disruptions to food supplies as crop-blocking soot and ash wither around the world, the researchers wrote in the study published in the journal Nature Food. Even a smaller-scale nuclear war between Pakistan and India would devastate food supplies, reduce global production by 7% within five years, and kill up to 2.5 billion people. Food insecurity in these cases would be deadlier than nuclear explosions, the study predicts. “The data tell us one thing: We must prevent a nuclear war from ever happening,” climatologist Alan Robock, a co-author of the study, said in a statement. The researchers looked at how wind patterns could spread smoke and fire from nuclear attacks and clouds over major food exporters such as the United States and China. A lack of sunlight would crash crops and could lead to a 90 percent drop in livestock, fishery and crop yields worldwide within four years of a conflict between major nuclear powers. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increased Chinese military exercises near Taiwan have renewed fears of nuclear conflict. After war broke out in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his nuclear forces were “ready for battle”, fueling fears of a possible nuclear conflict with the West 30 years after the end of the Cold War. (Russian officials later tried to tone down Putin’s warning.) China has conducted numerous drills around Taiwan following recent trips by US lawmakers to the island, which Beijing claims as its territory. The instability in the Taiwan Straits comes as Western experts warn that Beijing is accelerating its nuclear arsenal build-up. Nuclear war would compound existing threats to food security. Climate change, the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic have already severely disrupted global food production. A record 345 million people worldwide face food insecurity, an increase of nearly 200 million compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the World Food Programme. Nuclear threat higher now than in Cold War, British official warns In response, countries such as India and Malaysia have limited wheat and chicken exports. The fear of global conflict—whether or not nuclear weapons might be involved— and the resulting food insecurity could lead countries to further curtail exports or stockpile food supplies. “The psychological impact may be greater than the actual damage,” said William Chen, a professor of food science at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and director of a government-affiliated food safety program. To prepare for greater global volatility, he added, countries must move away from traditional agriculture and diversify their food sources. Mushroom cultivation, indoor cultivation and protein production from insects or microalgae foods could offer alternatives. “These don’t require as much space,” Chen said. “They can be grown in your kitchen, in a basement, and rely less on an environment exposed to nuclear war.”
