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Irish Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
India Pakistan war would kill 125 million - with global starvation to follow
Experts are sounding the alarm that over 100 million people could perish if India and Pakistan were to start a catastrophic nuclear war. A study published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has revealed that millions would die "immediately" if the ongoing tensions between the two nations escalated to nuclear conflict, with the potential release of massive dust clouds into the atmosphere possibly causing global famines affecting "billions". This stark warning comes in the wake of India's missile and drone strikes on Pakistan early Wednesday, which resulted in at least 26 fatalities. Pakistan has branded these strikes as an "act of war" and asserts it downed several Indian jets in response. The situation has intensified following an attack on tourists in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, which India attributes to terrorist groups operating from Pakistan. With both countries possessing nearly 400 nuclear weapons collectively, scientists caution that the consequences of their use would have repercussions well beyond South Asia, reports the Mirror. India fires missiles at Pakistan and disputed Kashmir region as WW3 fears grow. Local residents examine a building damaged from a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, in Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Image: AP) Research conducted in 2019 by the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University in the US concluded that, aside from the immediate deaths of approximately 125 million people due to the initial nuclear explosions, subsequent colossal fires could inject between 16 million and 36 million tons of soot into the upper atmosphere. This soot would then encircle the globe within weeks. This thick soot would cut the sunlight reaching Earth's surface by 20% to 35%, causing chilling temperatures down to two to five degrees. A drop in sunlight and falling precipitation levels could set off a domino effect on agriculture, possibly leading to widespread famines affecting billions. Security forces patrol the street near Wuyan area of Pampore in south Kashmir where reportedly an unknown fighter jet fell from the sky as India carried out strikes in Pakistan on May 7, 2025. (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images) Nuclear fallout would scatter radioactive toxins far and wide. Scientists say the smoky skies might take up to ten years to clear. Speaking at the time, co-author of the study, Alan Robock, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University, remarked: "Nine countries have nuclear weapons, but Pakistan and India are the only ones rapidly increasing their arsenals." Amid continued tensions, particularly over Kashmir, understanding the repercussions of a nuclear conflict is crucial, he said: "Such a war would threaten not only the locations where bombs might be targeted but the entire world." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
India Pakistan war 'would spark Armageddon with 125m deaths and global starvation'
Hundreds of millions could die 'immediately' and billions more would be hit by knock-on effects on Earth's atmosphere if nuclear war broke out between India and Pakistan, scientists said More than 100 million people could die if India and Pakistan began a devastating nuclear war, experts have warned. An academic journal published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists found tens of millions of people would perish "immediately" should tensions between the two countries result in nuclear weapons being used - while huge plumes of dust released into the Earth's atmosphere could trigger famines that would affect "billions" around the world. It comes after India launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones into Pakistan early on Wednesday, killing at least 26 people. Pakistan described the strikes as an "act of war", and claimed it shot down several Indian fighter jets in retaliation. Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbours over a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, which India says was carried out by terror groups based in Pakistan. Pakistan and India are estimated to have just under 400 nuclear weapons between them - and scientists say the impacts of them ever being used would stretch far beyond South Asia. In 2019, researchers from Department of Environmental Sciences at the US Rutgers University found that, after killing around 125million in the initial nuclear blasts, the huge fires could pump around 16million to 36million tons of soot into the upper atmosphere, which would spread around the world within only a few weeks. This thick soot would reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface by around 20% to 35%, causing the Earth to cool to two to five degrees. A lack of sunlight and a reduction in the amount of precipitation would also have wider knock-on effects in terms of agriculture, potentially causing mass famines that would impact billions of people. Nuclear fallout would also spread radioactive poisoning across a wide area. The amount of smoke in Earth's atmosphere means it would take as long as a decade for things to return to normal, the scientists warned. Alan Robock, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University who co-authored the study, said at the time: 'Nine countries have nuclear weapons, but Pakistan and India are the only ones rapidly increasing their arsenals. 'Because of the continuing unrest between these two nuclear-armed countries, particularly over Kashmir, it is important to understand the consequences of a nuclear war.' He added: 'Such a war would threaten not only the locations where bombs might be targeted but the entire world.'
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
India–Pakistan nuclear conflict won't just be a border issue: 2019 'Nostradamus' study warns it could starve the world
In 2019, researchers from the University of Colorado and Rutgers University issued a stark warning: a war between India and Pakistan was possible by 2025, and it could go nuclear. Published in Science Advances, the study combined insights from major institutions including the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, Federation of American Scientists, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Now, in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, their prediction feels chillingly prescient. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India much better equipped to target cross-border terror since Balakot India conducts maiden flight-trials of stratospheric airship platform Pakistan shuts ports for Indian ships after New Delhi bans imports from Islamabad The study aimed not to speculate, but to urge global action. It stressed the need for international agreements like the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to prevent such catastrophes. Using computer simulations, the researchers showed just how quickly a regional conflict could spiral into a global disaster. Nuclear war projections: Tens of millions dead, globally affected According to the study, if India were to use 100 nuclear strategic weapons and Pakistan 150, the immediate death toll could reach 100 million. Another 50 to 125 million might die in the aftermath—through radiation exposure, injuries, famine, and environmental collapse. GIF89a����!�,D; 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by The co-author of the report, Alan Robock of Rutgers University's Department of Environmental Sciences, made the global stakes clear: 'A war like that would threaten not just the areas where bombs would be dropped but the whole world.' Black carbon, lost sunlight, and global famine But it doesn't end with blasts. The research also warned of massive environmental consequences. The detonation of nuclear weapons would likely ignite firestorms, releasing 16 to 36 million tonnes of black carbon into the upper atmosphere. This soot would block sunlight, causing a drop in global temperatures by up to 5°C. Sunlight levels could fall by 35%, and precipitation by 30%. Live Events The knock-on effects? Crops would fail. Ocean ecosystems would suffer. Global food supplies would collapse. The study predicted that plant growth could decrease by up to 30%, while ocean productivity might drop by 15%. These disruptions would linger for a decade, if not longer, as the soot would remain suspended in the upper atmosphere. 2025 Nuclear arsenal estimates raise alarm The researchers also projected the possible growth of both nations' nuclear arsenals by 2025. India's stockpile was estimated to reach 400 to 500 warheads, each capable of destruction similar to the Hiroshima bomb of 1945, which had a yield of 15 kilotonnes. Pakistan's nuclear stockpile was also expected to grow significantly. The fact that both countries are nuclear-armed and within close range of one another only amplifies the risk. Experts have long viewed South Asia as one of the most volatile nuclear flashpoints on the planet. The study didn't just raise alarms—it called for action. It highlighted the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as a vital global instrument. Despite not being signed by nuclear powers like India or Pakistan, the treaty stands as a symbolic and political tool to stigmatise and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons. As tensions between the two neighbours rise again in 2025, the voices of those researchers from 2019 echo louder. Their message was clear then, and even more urgent now: a nuclear war in South Asia would not stay in South Asia. It would touch every life on this planet.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Nostradamus predicted the year of conflict between India and Pakistan in 2025—did he warn of a nuclear disaster
The potential for a war between India and Pakistan, especially after events such as the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, 2025, has raised serious concern about the threat of nuclear escalation. To this effect, a 2019 report forebodingly predicted the timing of the war, forecasting 2025 as the year when a potential war could erupt. This delves profoundly into the calamitous consequences of a nuclear war between these two nations, underscoring the global impact a disaster of such magnitude would possess. Nuclear catastrophe between India and Pakistan: Experts warn in groundbreaking study The primary research was done by researchers from the University of Colorado, with the help of Rutgers University, and published in Science Advances. The study collected data and feedback from a diverse set of organizations and experts such as US National Center for Atmospheric Research, Federation of American Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as institutions like the University of Texas at Rio Grande and the University of California at Los Angeles. The final aim of the 2019 study was to sound an alarm about the nuclear war potential catastrophe between India and Pakistan. It stressed the need for international conventions that work against such wars, specifically pointing out the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The forecasts of the study were to get everyone to realise how horrible the aftermath of an atomic war would be for not just the South Asian region but the world at large. According to the simulations in the research, Indian and Pakistani nuclear attacks could result in 100 million immediate fatalities. Additionally, another 50 to 125 million could perish from the aftermath, including radiation, injuries, and environmental damage. The research detailed one example of India deploying 100 nuclear strategic weapons and Pakistan deploying 150 and showed how massive the loss of life would be. How nuclear conflict could trigger a global famine crisis In addition to the direct destruction, the study predicted that a nuclear conflict would initiate a global mass starvation phenomenon. This would occur because the nuclear explosions would initiate fires which would release huge quantities of soot and black carbon into the atmosphere. The smoke would obscure sunlight, reducing global temperatures as much as 5 degrees Celsius, destroying agriculture worldwide. A decrease in world precipitation by as much as 30% would further intensify food deficits, resulting in mass famine. One of the authors of the report from Rutgers University's Department of Environmental Sciences, Alan Robock, pointed out that the destruction would not be limited to the targeted cities but would be universal. "A war like that would threaten not just the areas where bombs would be dropped but the whole world," Robock said. India and Pakistan's nuclear inventory growth and its global impact The study also made an estimate of the probable size of India's and Pakistan's nuclear weapons inventories by 2025. It predicted that India's maximum inventory size would be 400 to 500 nuclear weapons by then, with explosive yields equivalent to Hiroshima bombs of World War II, whose weights range between 15 kilotons (15,000 tonnes TNT). The Pakistani stockpile would also see enormous growth, further increasing the risks of a nuclear war in the subcontinent. Maybe the most eye-opening aspect of the study was that it investigated the environmental impact of a nuclear war. The authors calculated that the nuclear explosions would ignite fires that would release between 16 million and 36 million tonnes of soot into the atmosphere. This black carbon would cover the sun and disrupt the Earth's climate system, leading to an effect of nuclear winter. The study warned that plant growth may reduce by up to 30% and ocean productivity by up to 15%. The climatic conditions would persist for a minimum of 10 years because the soot would remain suspended in the atmosphere for a very long period, making it hard to recover. Also Read | Baba Vanga's 2025 predictions: Is the next world war just around the corner - here's what she predicted about the global wars and other crisis Discover everything about astrology at the Times of India , including daily horoscopes for Aries , Taurus , Gemini , Cancer , Leo , Virgo , Libra , Scorpio , Sagittarius , Capricorn , Aquarius , and Pisces .
