Nuclear War Essay, Research Paper

Effects of a Nuclear Exchange

“The tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst.” – Henry Fosdick. This quote greatly reflects the time and effort of scientists put into the development of nuclear weapons for war. If a nuclear war were to take place in the coming future, it would be a result of growing tension between multiple highly powerful countries. As the tension would grow, a final day would come closer and closer. The heated issues and demands would finally spark an attack, possibly with nuclear weapons. After the new nuclear exchange, the government, the people and the environment would all change dramatically immediately, shortly after and long after the attack.

Immediately after the explosion, the government, the people, and the environment would dramatically change. Upon the explosion, the government would be in a frenzy in order to get everything together. Communicating with others through electronics would prove impossible for a short period of time due to an energy pulse that the explosion would cause, rendering all electronics unusable. The people would all be caught in the middle of their preparation, unknowing of how dangerous the blast of radiation could be to them. They would all be in a panic of where to go, what to do, and where to hide as the enormous mushroom cloud would stun them all in awe. The impact and force of the explosion could immediately kill people who would be to close to the blast area. Also, the exact location of the blast would take a major beating even though the bomb would be detonated in midair. Fire would implode buildings, glass would melt due to heat, and wildlife could be destroyed immediately. Crops would begin burning, immediately effecting future food supplies.

Shortly after the attack, the government, the people, and the environment would be dramatically effected. At this point, the government would be totally dumbfounded as to what they could do, if they haven’t already been utterly destroyed. If not destroyed, they would begin organizing what’s left of the area as fast as possible. At this point the military would step in. Troops would take over food supplies, and looters would be shot on sight. Looters, and the people, would be in search for anything or anyone they could use or talk to. Looting would become very common as food would be hard to get. At this time the fire would have greatly taken effect on those who survived the initial blast. The faces and bodies of people would be burned to a crisp black shell, and some even to ashes. Not to mention the large hit the environment would take from the fire. Though it would not be long enough for the radiation to take its effect, the blazing fires would destroy wildlife, burn down forests, and cause hundred’s of thousands of tons of smoke. Causing even more trouble for the O-Zone layer and the air, as if the radiation wouldn’t be enough.

A long period after the nuclear exchange, the government, the people, and the environment would greatly change. As of now, the government would be no more, or not active. As the radiation has taken effect on the members of the government, the remaining people that did not die earlier would die now. Leaving the government empty. At which point the military would have sole responsibility of the area. The people that remained alive would be escorted to near by cities to live. As their current facilities would be to contaminated to occupy. The people would be forced to eat whatever they could find as food sources would get even worse, and even more contaminated. Child births could result in dead, retarded, or deformed children. And overall health for all would be unbearably low. By this time, radiation will have affected the offspring of many animals. And would even cause some to become extinct in that area. Also, the absence of fertilizer would cause crops to diminish as viruses caused by insects could be on the rise.

Governments, people, and wildlife would all fall to the lowest status possible if a nuclear were to occur. The long effects to these things would be devastating and unrecoverable. While the short term effects could cause suicide, due to overwhelming fear, among those who survived the initial explosion. In addition, the immediate effects would be like nothing we’d have ever seen. But unfortunately war is like love, it always finds a way.

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