The News
Risks high from small bombs
By The Denver Post Editorial Board
Article Last Updated: 03/24/2007 03:21:19 PM MDT
Any nuclear conflict, even a "small" one, will have catastrophic global consequences. That conclusion from atmospheric scientists should add to the impetus for responsible governments to make sure it never happens. The climate specialists believe that even limited use of nuclear weapons would produce enough radioactive soot to block sunlight, lower temperatures, kill crops and disrupt the Earth's ecosystem. An atomic blast could destroy a big chunk of the ozone layer, which keeps out harmful ultraviolet radiation. There would be millions of deaths. And the effects could last, not months, but perhaps a decade. While some scientists question the findings, we hope the theory is never tested.

The Research
Read more analysis behind this editorial by University of Colorado scientist Brian Toon in Science.