Camilla Jessen
With global tensions simmering, some experts have examined what a worst-case nuclear scenario might mean for humanity.
Annie Jacobsen, author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, said in a recent podcast interview that a full-scale nuclear conflict could result in billions of deaths within days.
Speaking on the Diary Of A CEO podcast, she described a chain reaction of destruction that would extend far beyond the initial explosions.
Jacobsen said that in the event of a global nuclear exchange, around five billion people could die within the first 72 minutes due to blasts, firestorms and immediate fallout.
She warned that the longer-term consequences would be equally catastrophic, with global temperatures dropping sharply in what scientists refer to as a “nuclear winter.”
“Most of the world, certainly the mid-latitudes would be covered in sheets of ice …places like Iowa and Ukraine would be just snow for 10 years,” she said.
“Agriculture would fail, and when agriculture fails people just die.”
Surviving the aftermath
Jacobsen added that radiation exposure and damage to the ozone layer would further endanger survivors.
“On top of that you have the radiation poisoning because the ozone layer will be so damaged and destroyed that you couldn’t be outside in the sunlight – people will be forced to live underground,” she said.
Citing research conducted with climate scientist Professor Brian Toon, Jacobsen said only Australia and New Zealand would likely retain the capacity to sustain agriculture under such conditions.
Geography matters
According to the discussion, the two countries’ relative isolation and position in the Southern Hemisphere could help shield them from both direct strikes and the worst climate effects.
Other nations sometimes cited as comparatively safer due to geography and neutrality include Iceland, Switzerland, Tuvalu, South Africa and Chile.
Experts note, however, that any global nuclear conflict would have unpredictable consequences, and even regions considered less exposed could face severe humanitarian challenges.
Sources: Diary Of A CEO podcast, Nuclear War: A Scenario.
