A Path Where No Man Thought: Nuclear Winter and the End of the Arms Race

An analysis of the potentially devastating consequences of nuclear war discusses the environmental impact of nuclear winter and proposes changes in international nuclear policies

High-altitude dust particles and smoke generated by even a "limited" nuclear war could plunge the Earth into cold and darkness. The ensuing "nuclear winter," as Sagan and Turco first predicted in the early 1980s, would bring famine, radioactive fallout, depletion of stratospheric ozone and an influx of lethal solar ultraviolet radiation. In an important, hope-giving report, the eminent astronomer and atmospheric scientist team up to refute critics of the nuclear winter hypothesis, and to spell out in greater detail what the environmental and social consequences of such an apocalypse might be. Nuclear winter makes it likely that "nearly all Americans will die" in a central exchange of missiles between the two superpowers, the authors stress. Their detailed proposals for reducing arsenals to achieve a "minimum sufficient deterrance" make this a book that neither concerned citizens nor policymakers can ignore. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This comprehensive examination of the phenomenon of nuclear winter serves as a sequel of sorts to Paul Ehrlich and others' The Cold and the Dark: The World After Nuclear War ( LJ 9/1/84) and the source book Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear War (Wiley, 1986). The authors provide updated information about the global climate and nuclear war's likely impact on it. They debunk the contention that strategic policies should not be decided on the basis of a mere theory, pointing out that policy is always made on the basis of incomplete information, and that the levels of knowledge about the environmental effects of nuclear war are at least comparable to that in many other policy areas. Though not likely to attract the attention of the media at a time when concerns about nuclear war are now treated as "old hat," the book is nevertheless an important reminder that nuclear war is an issue of supreme ecological importance. After all, as the authors remind us, the superpowers have yet to eliminate more than a tiny fraction of their nuclear stockpiles.
- Jennifer Scarlott, World Policy Inst., New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.