According to the organisation, the world holds 15,000 nuclear bombs (with most of them in the hands of the US and Russia). So what would happen if they all went off at the same time? Kurzgesagt couldn’t find an adequate source to answer the question so they asked a group of scientists for their estimations. While interesting, it doesn’t bear thinking what would happen if 15,000 nuclear weapons were all detonated at once. Needless to say, the world would be ruined for hundreds if not thousands of years.
“The catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons require that it be treated as a top priority. Disarmament will work better than any alternative in reducing the risk of use.”
Ban Ki-moon
Then moral questions arise. Why are there so many around? Why are they necessary? What is expected to happen after they go off? Will they ever be disposed? If so, how, given the fact they’re made of radioactive materials? Books and movies have attempted to answer these queries – some not so realistic, like Superman IV.
Stream the video below.
Filed under: energy Kurzgesagt nuclear physics