This is the type of piece you get when a doomsday cult is in charge: their first thought is “how does this affect the climate?” With a side of Trump Derangement Syndrome
A nuclear war would kill tens of millions of people—and would also prove disastrous for climate change, writes @robinsonmeyer.https://t.co/dd8HAgGclc
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) March 12, 2022
From the screed
When we talk about what causes climate change, we usually talk about oil and gas, coal and cars, and—just generally—energy policy. There’s a good reason for this. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, which enters the atmosphere, warms the climate, and … you know the drill. The more fossil fuels you burn, the worse climate change gets. That’s why, a couple of years ago, I spent a lot of time covering the Trump administration’s attempt to weaken the country’s fuel-economy standards. It was an awful policy, one that would have led to more oil consumption for decades to come. If pressed, I would have said that it had a single-digit-percentage chance of creating an uninhabitable climate system.
Don’t you just love how “reporters” make personal judgements, rather than just writing the news?
Since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, that threat has become a lot more real: Many Americans, including artists, climate-concerned progressives, and even a few lawmakers, have come out in support of a “no-fly zone.” But despite its euphemistic name, a no-fly zone means that NATO and the United States issue a credible threat that they will shoot down any enemy plane in Ukrainian territory. This would require U.S. bombing runs into Russian territory to eliminate air defenses, bringing the U.S. and Russia into open war, and it would have a reasonable chance of prompting a nuclear exchange. And it would be worse for the climate than any energy policy that Donald Trump ever proposed.
Oh, artists and climate concerned progressives! And, more Trump Derangement Syndrome
I mean this quite literally. If you are worried about rapid, catastrophic changes to the planet’s climate, then you must be worried about nuclear war. That is because, on top of killing tens of millions of people, even a relatively “minor” exchange of nuclear weapons would wreck the planet’s climate in enormous and long-lasting ways.
I mean, tens of millions killed right off, and, don’t forget all the later problems to people with radiation, but, that’s chump change compared to what could happen to the climate!
The hot, dry, hurricane-force winds would act like a supercharged version of California’s Santa Ana winds, which have triggered some of the state’s worst wildfires. Even in a small war, that would happen at dozens of places around the planet, igniting urban and wildland forest fires as large as small states. A 2007 study estimated that if 100 small nuclear weapons were detonated, a number equal to only 0.03 percent of the planet’s total arsenal, the number of “direct fatalities due to fire and smoke would be comparable to those worldwide in World War II.” Towering clouds would carry more than five megatons of soot and ash from these fires high into the atmosphere.
All this carbon would transform the climate, shielding it from the sun’s heat. Within months, the planet’s average temperature would fall by more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit; some amount of this cooling would persist for more than a decade. But far from reversing climate change, this cooling would be destabilizing. It would reduce global precipitation by about 10 percent, inducing global drought conditions. In parts of North America and Europe, the growing season would shorten by 10 to 20 days.
You mean nuclear winter? A term we’ve heard since not long after the nuclear bomb was used, and became a term in the 1980’s? Anyhow, because this is a cult, all that soot and ash, much of which used to be humans, is now “carbon”. Cult. And then there would be a “global food crisis”, a cute leftist catchall term, which really just means starvation.
The cult freakout continues on, ending with
The worst fears of that era, thankfully, never came to pass. Or at least, they haven’t happened yet. It is up to us to make sure that they don’t.
By worst fears, the Atlantic means anthropogenic climate change. Nuclear war is secondary.
Reasonable, thinking adults can walk AND chew gum. A nuclear holocaust would kill millions if not billions of humans, but what of the world left for the remaining billions? Does Mr Teach think we wash our hands and go back life as it was?
Soot and ash would temporarily reduce the amount of sun’s energy reaching the Earth, causing cooling, as does a large volcanic eruption! Teach lied to you, telling you the author called this “carbon”.
Teach typed: By worst fears, the Atlantic means anthropogenic climate change. Nuclear war is secondary.
Teach the mind reader misses the target once again. Nuclear war is unthinkable and not just for the millions killed from acute and chronic radiation damage, but also for the billions left.
Dr. Strangelove: I would not rule out the chance to preserve a nucleus of human specimens. It would be quite easy…heh, heh…at the bottom of ah…some of our deeper mineshafts. Radioactivity would never penetrate a mine some thousands of feet deep, and in a matter of weeks, sufficient improvements in drilling space could easily be provided.
Muffley: How long would you have to stay down there?
Dr. Strangelove: …I would think that uh, possibly uh…one hundred years…It would not be difficult Mein Fuehrer! Nuclear reactors could, heh…I’m sorry, Mr. President. Nuclear reactors could provide power almost indefinitely. Greenhouses could maintain plant life. Animals could be bred and slaughtered. A quick survey would have to be made of all the available mine sites in the country, but I would guess that dwelling space for several hundred thousands of our people could easily be provided.
Muffley: Well, I, I would hate to have to decide…who stays up and…who goes down.
Dr. Strangelove: Well, that would not be necessary, Mr. President. It could easily be accomplished with a computer. And a computer could be set and programmed to accept factors from youth, health, sexual fertility, intelligence, and a cross-section of necessary skills. Of course, it would be absolutely vital that our top government and military men be included to foster and impart the required principles of leadership and tradition. Naturally, they would breed prodigiously, eh? There would be much time, and little to do. Ha, ha. But ah, with the proper breeding techniques and a ratio of say, ten females to each male, I would guess that they could then work their way back to the present Gross National Product within say, twenty years.
Muffley: Wouldn’t this nucleus of survivors be so grief-stricken and anguished that they’d, well, envy the dead and not want to go on living?
Dr. Strangelove: When they go down into the mine, everyone would still be alive. There would be no shocking memories, and the prevailing emotion will be one of nostalgia for those left behind, combined with a spirit of bold curiosity for the adventure ahead! [involuntarily gives the Nazi salute and forces it down with his other hand]Ahhh!
Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn’t that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?
Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious…service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.
Russian Ambassador: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.
Well done!
Just when you think the climate nutters can’t get any nuttier, they do…
Would Trumps best friend who. He says us very smart actually choose to begin a nuclear war? The Trump culture could never envision THAT happening could it ?
Depends on what you mean by “begin a nuclear war.” Both the United States and
Soviet UnionRussia have ‘tactical’ and ‘battlefield’ nuclear weapons, in the one kiloton range, planned to eliminate an enemy over a relatively small area, and there’s actually doctrine — admittedly, on the shelves gathering dust somewhere — about how and where such could be used. If theSoviets Russians managed to identify a concentration of Ukrainian forces sufficient to ‘justify’ the use of a small nuke, Vladimir Vladimir’ich might order a one-time hit.That would do two things. One, it eliminates the enemy force in the target area, and it demonstrates the utter futility of the NATO alliance, which is
ComradePresident Putin’s goal anyway.Poop! I forgot to close a tag. This is how it shourl read:
Depends on what you mean by “begin a nuclear war.” Both the United States and
Soviet UnionRussia have ‘tactical’ and ‘battlefield’ nuclear weapons, in the one kiloton range, planned to eliminate an enemy over a relatively small area, and there’s actually doctrine — admittedly, on the shelves gathering dust somewhere — about how and where such could be used. If theSovietsRussians managed to identify a concentration of Ukrainian forces sufficient to ‘justify’ the use of a small nuke, Vladimir Vladimir’ich might order a one-time hit.That would do two things. One, it eliminates the enemy force in the target area, and it demonstrates the utter futility of the NATO alliance, which is
ComradePresident Putin’s goal anyway.NATO is stronger today than ever before.sweden long neutral I is considering joining. Even the SWISS have joined the sanctions. Russia is losing the economic battle and the military battle likewise.you think Putin would win against NATO I sure don’t
He can’t even win against Ukraine. A paper tiger
While what you say Kurt is true to a degree, the problem with your assertion is the beginning of your paragraph.
NATO is stronger today than ever before…..
This statement is false and therefore makes the rest of your post inherently irrelevant.
During the 70’s through Bill Clinton of the 90’s the USA had over 500,000 troops stationed in EUROPE. Not including the 82nd and 101st airborne which consisted of the RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCE to EU if Russia Attacked. Today there is barely 100k and that is after the USA sent some 15k more soldiers to be nuclear fallout.
Trump forced Nato to look at increasing their defense spending because they were all relying on the umbrella of the USA and their Nukes to keep Putin in Check.
That is not happening today. Perhaps it is BIDEN that PUTIN has a deal with since he practically lived in Ukraine cashing in on corruption in that country. I think it is BIDEN who is Putin’s puppet. Blustering while:
You are convinced of the world sanctioning Russia. Yet if you look at a map of the world which I did after the EST guy pointed this out. 7 billion out of 8 billion people are still doing business with Russia while NATO and the USA along with Australia think they are all that.
What’s going on here Kurt?
Kurt wrote:
NATO is predicated on the treaty concept that an attack on one is an attack on all. Vladimir Putin has exposed the weakness: that while the NATO nations are willing to impose sanctions, they are very unwilling to actually go to war against nuclear-armed Russia.
Ukraine isn’t a NATO member, so the actual obligation isn’t there, but the Baltic States and Poland can see what’s happening.
How would the much more numerous cukt if Christianity feel about nuclear war? Woukd it finally bring on thickens of times” allowing the chosen 144000 to be ruaptured into heaven? Any posters here think they might be included in that 144000? Evangelicals are amongst the largest American groups supporting the Trump/Putin axis. They like Putin’ s stated goal of expanding a Christian theocracy. Anti abortion/anti woman anti gay. 3 cheers for Putin from the American rightwing!!!
Hairy, you must be taking dOwdist lessons because this comment with all it’s inherent anti-Christian bigotry and prejudice, the obvious frivolous reference to an never existing “Trump/Putin axis” and an equally non existent “Christian theocracy” which is neither in Russia nor the USA seems eerily close to the psychotic ravings and delusions of the dOwd himself. Take your meds, get some rest and stop reading the bullshit comments of a fuking lunatic who believes whatever the left tells him unquestioningly.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA66QLNki6XnScWhIla6tVWl0Foe6IFr0e0FpX9Yi11rVGy1y8QD7XT7M9v4Pkn0HTVZskbamdv8UpWA_weeHbAK8rZKi4vA1KJrPSc7CMZhg0yfBQEOzD0wOOExO8q8_rcJlw8EUcnjVMGD2F62K5ndf1wlG72DvtHx_RSxunOplVfN-MTSZEVhynsQ=w630-h640
Actually Brand0, Putin’s anti-LGBTQ policies play well with trump, trumpists and far-right christians. It’s certainly part of the reason the murderous, authoritarian Putin has support from the U.S. right, and why wingers like you spread anti-Ukraine lies.
There is an active and influential evangelical christian movement in Russia, but rather than offering moral leadership the movement supports Putin full-throttle. Like the American right, Russian evangelicals blame all the world’s evils on the immoral West.
Brand0, you have been so pro-Putin, pro-authoritarian, anti-Democracy and anti-Ukraine we have to wonder if you’re part of the Russia’s G.R.U. disinformation campaign.
First of all, Elwood P. Dowd pretending to be hairy.
The 144,000 reference is from a cult of Christianity known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Secondly let me see a poll suggesting that Evangelicals support PUTIN. Yes they do indeed support Trump because the alternative in this scenario laid out by YOU…..is to support people like YOU.
People who lie, steal, cheat and believe that all Christians are evil while encouraging your DA’s to release rapists, Pedophiles, violent criminals at the same time encouraging the influx of millions of Illegal immigrants into this country, most of which are not vetted and we have no idea what kind of people they are.
So. Yeah. The Country as a whole if choosing between AOC and the Squad or TRUMP and his America first policy.
Absolutely, 100 percent. And BY THE WAY FAKE NEWS HAIRY…..Trump more harshly punished IRAN and RUSSIA and PUTIN than any president.
Try the truth because people are not stupid anymore. The pandemic gave them time to start reading up on stuff that in the past they ignored. This is one of the biggest reasons why the right is garnering greater and greater support among blacks and hispanics and even the White MOMs are returning to the fold, driven away by CRAZINESS in the Democratic Communist Party.