Fish with high levels of radiation have been caught off the coast of California since the Fukushima nuclear disaster spilled radioactive material into the Pacific Ocean in 2011. Following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion in 1986, radioactive dust was found throughout most of Europe. “Nuclear war would cross these boundaries beyond what the planet can sustain.”Īccidental radioactive leaks have caused extensive environmental impacts. “We have to be very careful about what’s going to happen to our ecosystems and ecosystem services that provide basic, essential needs for human life,” Aguirre said. Some ecosystems might be pushed beyond their limits for mitigation or adaptation, the scientists warn. High levels of radiation cause death and disease and could lead to extinction of local animals and plants that are already endangered. Contamination can last hundreds or even thousands of years and could alter how the biosphere functions. Radiation doesn’t stay where it’s released and triggers cascading effects as it spreads through air and water. As scientists, we want to call the attention of all decision-makers to the risks associated with radiation.” “Food production and chain effects with migratory movements would be on a scale never before seen, ending the current Anthropocene era. “Even a ‘tactical nuclear war’ could alter all life on planet Earth,” said Cristian Bonacic, lead author and a professor of ecosystems and the environment at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Alonso Aguirre, dean of Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources.Īny release of nuclear radiation – including accidental leaks – would be detrimental to all life on Earth, the authors representing 10 countries conclude. The authors are members of the International Biodiversity Network, an organization of globally recognized experts in biodiversity, climate change, ecosystem health and ecosystem services, including A. They are, in front, from left: Líder Sucre and Cristían Bonacic and standing, from left: Vance LaVelle, Claudio Benedito Valladares Padua, Mary Pearl, Eduardo Ditt, Suzana Padua, Raman Sukumar, Lorena Calvo, Lourdes Mujica, Damayanti Buchori, Melly Reuling and A. Members of the International Biodiversity Network gathered in July 2019 in Panama. They want to make policymakers and the public aware of the ecosystem impacts and long-lasting consequences of nuclear radiation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened the use of “tactical” nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, but nuclear weapons of any kind would cause widespread devastation, according to a new position paper by a group of renowned scientists from around the world.
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