- World Anvil
VIVA – Scientists have revealed where people should go during the doomsday. In the event of a nuclear winter, there are only a few island nations that can continue to produce enough food to feed their populations.
Nuclear winter is what scientists think would happen after a large-scale atomic war. It is a prolonged and severe cooling of the global climate, with widespread firestorms that would block direct Sunlight. This could potentially lead to crop failure and famine, which could devastate populations. But scientists now believe that New Zealand is one of five island nations that could weather a nuclear storm.
"Island nations like New Zealand are often heavily reliant on imports of refined liquid fuels which leaves them lacking energy self-sufficiency and vulnerable to breakdowns and shortages of essential commodities," said study author Nick Wilson, from the University of Otago, Wellington.
New Zealand could divert most of its milk exports to supply the local market. But it cannot produce many replacement parts for farm machinery and food processors.
Ilustrasi kiamat nuklir.
- Crosswalk
This study involves a situation where there is a sudden reduction in the Sun's rays. This could have been caused by nuclear war, a super volcanic eruption, or an asteroid impact.
They then applied the 'nuclear winter' conditions to 38 island nations to see how they would fare in terms of food calorie supply. Some countries would be able to provide enough food, while others could not cope due to the collapse of industry and social functions.
But countries that can handle it include New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. The authors warn that many countries would be in a precarious position during such a disaster.
"New Zealand has the potential to preserve industrial society through this kind of disaster, but it's not plug-and-play," said researcher Matt Boyd, of Adapt Research.
A decent amount of strategic planning needs to happen over a long period, but this planning would be beneficial in dealing with a range of extreme risks.
Now governments around the world are being urged to analyze how they would survive a nuclear winter.
"We are not aware of any plans for this kind of global disaster, including whether rationing priorities have been considered. The government is expected to release New Zealand's first National Security Strategy this year. It is important to do so because of the catastrophic risks associated with a sudden reduction in Sunlight scenario," Boyd continued.
