Honestly, probably nothing, except lack of clean energy for some places. Nuclear war as a threat is basically a wash, because every developed country (and some under developed), have more than enough to destroy the entire planet. But most countries, even the ones that constantly provoke war would still be VERY hesitant to invade other nations in a land/sea attack. If anything, Russia would probably lose its “intimidation” factor and more countries would tell them to kick rocks. So overall, it would be a good thing, except for the lack of clean energy, but half the world thinks climate change isn’t real anyways.
You’d never hear about it because it would instantly become the most closely guarded secret in all of human history for every single nuclear-armed government on the planet. Anyone with knowledge that the nukes had disappeared would be assassinated, with only the shotcallers at the absolute top even allowed to survive.
Large-scale wars would happen, and the world would lose about 10% of its energy capacity until somebody decides to build a thorium reactor (you didn’t list that) and we’d have our nuclear power back.
Well….a lot of parts of the world would lose power. And since there are 71 nuclear submarines in the world I’d imagine a lot of those sailors would die if they weren’t surfaced or in dock.
The real question is how many weeks would it take us to replace it all? Maybe 10 for the US, much longer for other countries.
Nort Korea levels Seoul with artillery. And before long the North and South re-engage in a new wave of trench warfare that easily lasts a decade or more.
Nato and Russia fight to the death across Ukraine and the Baltic states. This war single handedly competes with WW2 for number of deaths.
India and Pakistan paint each the Earth red with the blood of their people.
China and Taiwan end up mired in urban warfare in the streets of a ruined Taiwan as the Taiwanese people refuse to surrender despite being hopeless outmatched.
As for me personally. As a US citizen I’d get drafted and sent to die in the street of Tehran when the US joins Isreal’s invasion of Iran.
We probably end up killing a not-insignificant portion of humanity through direct warfare and starvation in within the next decade.
As much as nukes suck, they are keeping us foolish creatures safe from making even worse decisions than we already do.
Let me know if I’m missing any of the big conflicts that would break out. I feel like I probably am, but I’m not thinking of the next biggest war that would happen in this Whatif. Maybe Turkey conquers Syria?
I think you’d see a lot more open conflicts between the global superpowers. If you don’t have nuclear deterrents, there’s no fear stopping your enemies from attacking you.
Nuclear deterrence isn’t what it used to be. Most likely, nothing would change. If anything, Russia and NK would immediately be invaded by China, with the US following fairly close behind taking part of Russia.
It would be fairly quick, as Russia has shown how weak it truly is trying to take Ukraine.
Alright, so that is a significant percentage of the global power grid gone, so immediately power shortages, congratulations, thousands of deaths from accidents and lack of care already.
WW3 immediately starts, only reason it hasn’t is if someone invaded, nukes start flying? Ww2? That is nothing compared to modern items
The entire NATO nuclear submarine, and the entire US Submarine and Carrier forces are trash, but still, NATO still rules the wages, because it is bloody Russia, Afterall, maybe other than the Pacific
So with the nuclear reactor thing, you just condemned us to a decade of war many times worse than ww2
Comments
We would have to go find them
We’d build Rods from God instead, and we’d fall back on fossil fuels for decades.
Bye bye to the sun and the stars, they are the nukes of the gods
WWIII would start with non-nuclear weapons
Honestly, probably nothing, except lack of clean energy for some places. Nuclear war as a threat is basically a wash, because every developed country (and some under developed), have more than enough to destroy the entire planet. But most countries, even the ones that constantly provoke war would still be VERY hesitant to invade other nations in a land/sea attack. If anything, Russia would probably lose its “intimidation” factor and more countries would tell them to kick rocks. So overall, it would be a good thing, except for the lack of clean energy, but half the world thinks climate change isn’t real anyways.
Broken Arrow
Nuclear deterrence is a real thing, World War III would happen soon.
Wouldn’t take too long to make new ones. Probably better ones.
Then long term enemies will probably start fighting more.
The purpose of nukes is like having a “beware of dog sign” or “trespassers will be shot”
The point of having nukes is to keep people away from you
You’d never hear about it because it would instantly become the most closely guarded secret in all of human history for every single nuclear-armed government on the planet. Anyone with knowledge that the nukes had disappeared would be assassinated, with only the shotcallers at the absolute top even allowed to survive.
We’d still have other weapons of mass destruction. You know how many people we liked with someone as simple as napalm? 😆
Russia would lose the war because they would have nothing to threaten with.
Countries would shut down.
Remember how things were around ww1 and ww2? Yeah like that but every few years
Yes please.
Large-scale wars would happen, and the world would lose about 10% of its energy capacity until somebody decides to build a thorium reactor (you didn’t list that) and we’d have our nuclear power back.
Russia would no longer be a country.
WWIII within a year.
I’d make more
Go back to the 1920s? So much stuff is reliant on electricity. If its not from Nuclear, its likely going to be coal.
The lights go out until we can restart the coal plants. War breaks out because there is no threat to stop it.
The US would just look to develop another type of super weapon. If they haven’t already…
Well….a lot of parts of the world would lose power. And since there are 71 nuclear submarines in the world I’d imagine a lot of those sailors would die if they weren’t surfaced or in dock.
The real question is how many weeks would it take us to replace it all? Maybe 10 for the US, much longer for other countries.
There would be an immediate energy crisis and blackouts in some parts of the world.
Then wars would srart
Energy crisis follow by WW3
There would be a lot more wars, skirmishes, special operations
WW3 starts immediately.
Nort Korea levels Seoul with artillery. And before long the North and South re-engage in a new wave of trench warfare that easily lasts a decade or more.
Nato and Russia fight to the death across Ukraine and the Baltic states. This war single handedly competes with WW2 for number of deaths.
India and Pakistan paint each the Earth red with the blood of their people.
China and Taiwan end up mired in urban warfare in the streets of a ruined Taiwan as the Taiwanese people refuse to surrender despite being hopeless outmatched.
As for me personally. As a US citizen I’d get drafted and sent to die in the street of Tehran when the US joins Isreal’s invasion of Iran.
We probably end up killing a not-insignificant portion of humanity through direct warfare and starvation in within the next decade.
As much as nukes suck, they are keeping us foolish creatures safe from making even worse decisions than we already do.
Let me know if I’m missing any of the big conflicts that would break out. I feel like I probably am, but I’m not thinking of the next biggest war that would happen in this Whatif. Maybe Turkey conquers Syria?
Europe would get serious with Russia.
Why are you lumping together power plants with nuclear weapons?
I think you’d see a lot more open conflicts between the global superpowers. If you don’t have nuclear deterrents, there’s no fear stopping your enemies from attacking you.
More wars, less safe.
We will be majorly f*cked. Expansion wars will be back on the menu etc.
Nuclear deterrence isn’t what it used to be. Most likely, nothing would change. If anything, Russia and NK would immediately be invaded by China, with the US following fairly close behind taking part of Russia.
It would be fairly quick, as Russia has shown how weak it truly is trying to take Ukraine.
Alright, so that is a significant percentage of the global power grid gone, so immediately power shortages, congratulations, thousands of deaths from accidents and lack of care already.
WW3 immediately starts, only reason it hasn’t is if someone invaded, nukes start flying? Ww2? That is nothing compared to modern items
The entire NATO nuclear submarine, and the entire US Submarine and Carrier forces are trash, but still, NATO still rules the wages, because it is bloody Russia, Afterall, maybe other than the Pacific
So with the nuclear reactor thing, you just condemned us to a decade of war many times worse than ww2
Several people would be very confused
I mean, apart from the obvious, we would need to find new cancer treatments asap, and a replacement for X-Rays.
Smoke alarms would stop working.
CERN needs to be repurposed as a massive water slide.
Oh, and war. Lots of little wars, and a few big ones.
And Doc Brown would have to give up time travel.