Nuclear war could starve world, wipe out 87% of global corn: Study

A recent study from Penn State highlights the devastating impact a nuclear winter could have on global corn production, potentially triggering catastrophic worldwide famine. The research modeled six nuclear war scenarios with varying soot injections into the atmosphere, simulating corn yields across 38,572 locations. A regional nuclear war injecting about 5.5 million tons of soot could reduce global corn production by 7%, severely straining food security. In contrast, a large-scale global nuclear war releasing 165 million tons of soot could slash corn yields by 80%. Additionally, the destruction of the ozone layer would increase harmful UV-B radiation, further damaging crops and potentially driving total corn production losses to 87% in the worst-case scenario. The study utilized the Cycles agroecosystem model to simulate crop growth and accounted for the combined effects of reduced sunlight, lower temperatures, and increased UV-B radiation. The researchers also proposed a potential mitigation strategy involving “agricultural resilience kits” containing region-specific, cold-adapted, fast-growing