Readers React: Even a limited nuclear war would devastate the planet

To the editor: The public health threat of nuclear weapons finds man paralyzed. Yet unlike a deer in headlights, man’s large forebrain allows for critical thinking and responsive adaptation. Humans do have the capacity to change. (“Stubborn like a musk ox -- why Homo sapiens can’t think straight about nuclear weapons,” Op-Ed, Jan. 24)

Recent climate science has shown an even greater threat posed by nuclear weapons. Even a small, regional nuclear war using a tiny fraction of the world’s total stockpile would place 2 billion people at risk of starvation from the subsequent climatic change.

Ignorance is the enemy. Physicians like myself and those with this knowledge have a responsibility to educate the public about these dangers.

As with any public health threat, prevention is paramount. Otherwise we continue the drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.

Robert Dodge, Ojai

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