logo

53 pages 1 hour read

Nuclear War: A Scenario

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2024

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Part 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 5: “The Next 24 Months and Beyond (Or, Where We Are Headed After a Nuclear Exchange)”

Part 5, Chapter 1 Summary: “Day Zero: After the Bombs Stop”

Cities across America have burned to ash, and forest fires consume rural areas. The constant burning produces so much soot that it rises into the atmosphere and blocks the sun. The resulting condition is a “nuclear winter,” a massive plunge in global temperatures lasting as long as 10 years. The earth’s ecosystem would suffer incalculable damage, and human beings would fight off bitter cold, ubiquitous radiation poisoning, and fellow citizens for a share of the meager remaining resources. Drastic reductions in rainfall would destroy agriculture, and there would be no way to distribute any preserved food. Clean water will be equally rare, poisoned by both radiation and billions of corpses. Countless species of plants and animals will go extinct, becoming nothing more than a fossil.

Eventually, nuclear winter will soften, but the ozone will be so depleted that life on the earth’s surface will be all but impossible, driving whatever is still living underground. New sunlight will bring about new species of insects, many carrying disease. There is no way to know if humanity will survive.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 53 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools