A Nuclear Winter's Tale: Science and Politics in the 1980s (Transformations: Studies in the History of Science and Technology)

Badash, Lawrence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0262012723 ISBN 13: 9780262012720

Publisher: MIT Press, 2009

The rise and fall of the concept of nuclear winter, played out in research activity, public relations, and Reagan-era politics.The nuclear winter phenomenon burst upon the public's consciousness in 1983. Added to the horror of a nuclear war's immediate effects was the fear that the smoke from fires ignited by the explosions would block the sun, creating an extended "winter" that might kill more people worldwide than the initial nuclear strikes. In A Nuclear Winter's Tale, Lawrence Badash maps the rise and fall of the science of nuclear winter, examining research activity, the popularization of the concept, and the Reagan-era politics that combined to influence policy and public opinion. Badash traces the several sciences (including studies of volcanic eruptions, ozone depletion, and dinosaur extinction) that merged to allow computer modeling of nuclear winter and its development as a scientific specialty. He places this in the political context of the Reagan years, discussing congressional interest, media attention, the administration's plans for a research program, and the Defense Department's claims that the arms buildup underway would prevent nuclear war, and thus nuclear winter. A Nuclear Winter's Tale tells an important story but also provides a useful illustration of the complex relationship between science and society. It examines the behavior of scientists in the public arena and in the scientific community, and raises questions about the problems faced by scientific Cassandras, the implications when scientists go public with worst-case scenarios, and the timing of government reaction to startling scientific findings.

Review:

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"This remarkable book is as well informed and as objective as one can be when discussing events that occurred within living memory...Anyone interested in the relations between science and society would do well to read it and ponder its implications for today."-- William R. Shea, "Nuncius"

"Badash has written an exciting account of the 1980s' deep concern about nuclear winter in the scientific and political world. This book is an interesting story of the complex web of characters and motives."--Warren M. Washington, Senior Scientist and Head, Climate Change Research Section, Climate and Global Dynamics Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research

"Lawrence Badash's new book deftly weaves the science of nuclear doomsday with Reagan-era political debates and citizens' reactions. "A Nuclear Winter's Tale" shows, in surprising ways, how the science of nuclear war connected to other disciplines like ecology and meteorology. As we face new nuclear and climate-related perils, the story of nuclear winter exemplifies the challenge of providing essential yet contested scientific advice. This well-researched and clearly written book is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand both the Nuclear Age and the complex relations between scientists, politics, and society."--W. Patrick McCray, Historian, University of California, Santa Barbara

"What can scientists do when they turn up evidence that normal activities are putting us at risk of global disaster? How can they balance their commitments to scientific accuracy, to their government, and to the public? In such a tangle it is hard to separate policy from bureaucracy and science from personality. Badash's lively and well-balanced book cuts a straight path through the jungle, clarifying questions that are more pressing now than ever."--Spencer Weart, Director, Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics

""A Nuclear Winter's Tale" provides the first in-depth study of the science and politics of 'nuclear winter.' The book admirably weaves together a wide range of scientific and technical efforts, from basic physics and chemistry to meteorology, ecology, nuclear-weapons design, and beyond. All the while, the book traces political developments, foreign policy, public relations, and media accounts across an international canvas. In addition to interviewing several key players in the controversy, Badash has tracked down obscure technical reports, back-room memos, and far-flung media coverage. He weaves all these together, skillfully explaining complicated scientific practices and political negotiations in a refreshingly clear manner. A major achievement."--David Kaiser, MIT, author of "Drawing Theories Apart"

"Badash's work is very well documented, and readers will appreciate the clarity of his explanations; advanced undergraduates may benefit from some of the chapters as a means of understanding the importance of healthy scientific debate and the dangers of one-sided political ones." -- Guillaume de Syon, "Canadian Journals of History"

"This remarkable book is as well informed and as objective as one can be when discussing events that occurred within living memory...Anyone interested in the relations between science and society would do well to read it and ponder its implications for today." -- William R. Shea, "Nuncius"

"Badash's work is very well documented, and readers will appreciate the clarity of his explanations; advanced undergraduates may benefit from some of the chapters as a means of understanding the importance of healthy scientific debate and the dangers of one-sided political ones." -- Guillaume de Syon, Canadian Journals of History

"This remarkable book is as well informed and as objective as one can be when discussing events that occurred within living memory...Anyone interested in the relations between science and society would do well to read it and ponder its implications for today." -- William R. Shea, Nuncius

About the Author:

Lawrence Badash was Professor Emeritus of History of Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He authored Kapitza, Rutherford, and the Kremlin and Scientists and the Development of Nuclear Weapons: From Fission to the Limited Test Ban Treaty.