Political commentators criticized an Atlantic headline on Sunday that argued, in addition to killing millions of people, a nuclear war would “prove disastrous for environment.”
“On Top of Everything Else, Nuclear War Is a Climate Problem,” the headline of The Atlantic article read. “A nuclear war would kill tens of millions of people and would also prove disastrous for climate change,” a tweet that accompanies the article said.
A man rappels down the side of the Port Authority Building with a sign during a climate change rally outside of the New York Times building, Saturday, June 22, 2019, in New York. Activists blocked traffic along 8th Avenue during a sit-in to demand coverage of climate change by the newspaper. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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The article argued, if “you’re worried about rapid, catastrophic changes to the planet’s climate, then you must be worried about nuclear war.”
“On top of killing tens of millions of people, even a relatively ‘minor’ exchange of nuclear weapons would wreck the planet’s climate in enormous and long-lasting ways,” the outlet added.
Critics slammed the tweet, calling the article “silly” and questioning the “priorities” of The Atlantic.
Fox News contributor Joe Concha said “there are no words” to describe the statement.
“Seriously,” Joe Kernen, host of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” said in reaction to the tweet from The Atlantic.
“Frame it,” Stephen Miller, political commentator and editor for The Spectator, said.
Another joked and asked what nuclear war would do for student loans.
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Climate activist John Kerry has previously expressed concerns that the war in Ukraine would distract from the climate crisis around the world.
FILE – In this Feb. 1, 2020, President Joe Biden smiles as climate czar John Kerry, left, takes the podium to speak at a campaign stop at the South Slope Community Center in North Liberty, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
“But it could have a profound negative impact on the climate, obviously. You have a war, and obviously you’re going to have massive emissions consequences to the war. But equally importantly, you’re going to lose people’s focus, you’re going to lose certainly big country attention because they will be diverted, and I think it could have a damaging impact,” Kerry said, adding that he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will help the world “stay on track” with fighting climate change.
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Kerry said Wednesday that while the refugee crisis in Ukraine was a big problem as Russia continues to invade Ukraine, he warned migration would be worse if climate change is not addressed.
“If you think migration has been a problem in Europe in the Syrian War or even from what we see now, wait until you see 100 million people for whom the entire food production capacity has collapsed,” he said during a speech at the CERAweek conference in Houston, Texas.
