A war between countries would culminate into a nuclear fallout that could have devastating effects globally. The only country that has used nuclear warfare is the U.S. when they dropped nuclear payloads on Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
The aftermath was devastating which has impacted the lives of the Japanese to this day. Now, more countries have developed nuclear arsenals that are much stronger, with the ability to obliterate small countries.
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By 2025, it is estimated that India and Pakistan will boast a nuclear arsenal of over 200 weapons with yields of a few kilotons. A scenario where both countries use their nuclear prowess will be horrifyingly devastating. In a new study, researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and Rutgers University did just that. The researchers explained what a nuclear war between India and Pakistan would be like, in a research paper published in Science Advances.
Although, the countries do have about 150 nuclear weapons at their disposal which researchers predicted, would increase to about 500. A nuclear war with such firepower would lead to millions of casualties as the world is thrown into a nuclear winter – severe global cooling after widespread firestorms. Such an Indo-Pak war would double the death rate of the world as the lead author of the study, Owen B. Toon described, "This is a war that would have no precedent in human experience."
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The team used computer simulations to create a scenario where India uses 100 nuclear weapons and Pakistan uses 150 to attack major urban centers in both countries. They estimated 50 to 125 million casualties with each warhead taking about 700,000 lives. But the aftermath makes it worse as nuclear-ignited fires would release 16 to 36 TG of black carbon in the form of smoke which would spread globally in weeks. Surface sunlight will decrease by 20% to 35% causing global cooling by 2° to 5°C followed by 15% to 30% reduction in precipitation. The aftermath would be devastating not only locally but globally as it would take 10 years for complete recovery.
With his paper, Toon wants to help people understand the extent of nuclear fallout which might be possible even after the end of the Cold War.
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