War affects not only humans, but nature as well. The effect of nuclear weapons changes with many factors, including the weather. If a nuclear war were to begin, the world's forests and drier areas would immediately be set ablaze. The heat would be high enough to sterilize the soil. Ungerminated seeds in the ground would be ruined. No one could count the number of populations and species that would be wiped out, and those that survived would have suffered the side-effects of the war. When the rains return, soil would be washed away because no trees remain to anchor it down. With the absence of land, no plants can be reinstituted. The heavy amount of dirt would also stress shallow areas of the ocean and the mouths of rivers and streams. Smoke and dust would cover the sky and make the ozone layer even thinner. No hope would remain of saving the rainforest. Soils and forests could eventually regenerate, but natural resources such as minerals and petroleum would not reform quickly enough to benefit us. If thermonuclear war were to occur, humans would join the thousands of organisms already in danger of extinction.
Indirect Causes - Recreation
