Nuclear holocaust refers to a possible nearly complete annihilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is made uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars.
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| Nuclear Holocost and Nuclear Accidents |
Nuclear physicists and others have speculated that nuclear holocaust could result in an end to human life, or at least to modern civilization on Earth due to the immediate effects of nuclear fallout, the loss of much modern technology due to electromagnetic pulses, or nuclear winter and resulting extinctions. Since 1947, the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists visualizes how far the world is from a nuclear holocaust.
The threat of a nuclear holocaust plays an important role in the popular perception of nuclear weapons. It features in the security concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD) and is a common scenario in survivalism. Nuclear holocaust is a common feature in literature, especially in speculative genres such as science fiction, dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction.
The English word "holocaust", derived from the Greek term "holokaustos" meaning "completely burnt", is commonly defined as "a great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life, especially by fire."
Case study: Chernobyl reactor
A mishandled reactor safety test led to an uncontrolled power excursion, causing a severe steam explosion, meltdown and release of radioactive material at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant located approximately 100 kilometers north-northwest of Kiev. Approximately fifty fatalities resulted from the accident and the immediate aftermath most of these being cleanup personnel. An additional nine fatal cases of thyroid cancer in children in the Chernobyl area have been attributed to the accident. The explosion and combustion of the graphite reactor core spread radioactive material over much of Europe. 100,000 people were evacuated from the areas immediately surrounding Chernobyl in addition to 300,000 from the areas of heavy fallout in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. An "Exclusion Zone" was created surrounding the site encompassing approximately 1,000 mi² (3,000 km²) and deemed off-limits for human habitation for an indefinite period. Several studies by governments, UN agencies and environmental groups have estimated the consequences and eventual number of casualties. Their findings are subject to controversy.
Nuclear weapons causes holocaust
If all the nuclear weapons in the world were used, then all of humanity would most like be destroyed. This is for several reasons. Firstly, most major cities would be destroyed by incoming warheads. However, this would leave some areas untouched. Thes e areas would most likely be reached by radioactive fall-out blown by the wind. These would be the immediate repurcussions. Later, the world would go into what is called "Nuclear Winter". Global temperatures would drop significantly, as well as the amount of sunlight received by the earth. This is very similar to what is believed happened to the dinosaurs. It is believed that a large asteroid collided with the earth, and stirred up a lot of dust into the atmosphere. This blotted out the sun, and plants died. With very few plants to eat, the dinosaurs (and many other animals) went extinct. Nuclear winter would be a lot like this. The only difference is that there the dust would be raised up by impacting nuclear warheads and their explosions. Additionally, the dust would be radioactive. The combination of radioactivity, lack of food, and lowering temperatures cause a Nuclear Holocaust, with the chances of humans surviving it very low.