We finally have a solution for global warming. A discussion on the board The Straight Dope about the likely effect of a nuclear war brought up the hypothesis that a nuclear war on a large scale could produce a mini-nuclear winter. Why? Well, the dust and debris sent into the atmosphere by the conflagrations, plus the smoke produced by the fires started by the explosions would cover the sun for a period long enough to lower the temperature by as much as 40 degrees Celsius for a few months and by up to 2-6 degree Celsius for a few years. One on top of the other, according to this Weather Wunderground contributor, who cites a bona fide research paper on nuclear winter, after everything would settle down we would be back to 1970s temperatures. Add to this the decline in industrial production and global oil consumption due to industrial denuding of most large nations and global warming simply goes away. I wonder what Jonathan Swift would have thought about this proposal?
