A Path Where No Man Thought: Nuclear Winter and the End of the Arms Race [Hardcover]

Carl Sagan (Author), Richard Turco (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

High-altitude dust particles and smoke generated by even a "limited" nuclear war could plunge the Earth into cold and darkness. The ensuing "nuclear winter," as Sagan and Turco first predicted in the early 1980s, would bring famine, radioactive fallout, depletion of stratospheric ozone and an influx of lethal solar ultraviolet radiation. In an important, hope-giving report, the eminent astronomer and atmospheric scientist team up to refute critics of the nuclear winter hypothesis, and to spell out in greater detail what the environmental and social consequences of such an apocalypse might be. Nuclear winter makes it likely that "nearly all Americans will die" in a central exchange of missiles between the two superpowers, the authors stress. Their detailed proposals for reducing arsenals to achieve a "minimum sufficient deterrance" make this a book that neither concerned citizens nor policymakers can ignore. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This comprehensive examination of the phenomenon of nuclear winter serves as a sequel of sorts to Paul Ehrlich and others' The Cold and the Dark: The World After Nuclear War ( LJ 9/1/84) and the source book Environmental Consequences of a Nuclear War (Wiley, 1986). The authors provide updated information about the global climate and nuclear war's likely impact on it. They debunk the contention that strategic policies should not be decided on the basis of a mere theory, pointing out that policy is always made on the basis of incomplete information, and that the levels of knowledge about the environmental effects of nuclear war are at least comparable to that in many other policy areas. Though not likely to attract the attention of the media at a time when concerns about nuclear war are now treated as "old hat," the book is nevertheless an important reminder that nuclear war is an issue of supreme ecological importance. After all, as the authors remind us, the superpowers have yet to eliminate more than a tiny fraction of their nuclear stockpiles.
- Jennifer Scarlott, World Policy Inst., New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 499 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (November 27, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394583078
• ISBN-13: 978-0394583075
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 5.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,604,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carl Sagan was Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager spacecraft expeditions to the planets, for which he received the NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. Dr. Sagan received the Pulitzer Prize and the highest awards of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation, and many other awards, for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. His book Cosmos (accompanying his Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television series of the same name) was the bestselling science book ever published in the English language, and his bestselling novel, Contact, was turned into a major motion picture.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mankind at extinction level,nuclear winter. Need much less nuclear weapons. Not much done, April 16, 2011

By 

Thomas Erickson (Lutz Fl and Felt Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Path Where No Man Thought: Nuclear Winter and the End of the Arms Race (Hardcover)

I'm a big fan of the late Carl Sagan. Most of his books are 5 stars( see my reviews). A Path Where No Man Thought by Carl Sagan and Richard Turco( top engineer/ PHD /physicist)wrote a very interesting book. Some interesting colorful artwork (some depressing...NYC hit by 2 1 megaton weapons)and vast black and white destruction photos of Hiroshima after its destruction and more.

Let me first say this book was kind of depressing as the reader learns countries have vast stockpiles of nuclear weapons hundreds of times needed as a deterrent against armed aggression. 60,000 weapons plus thousands of tactical nuclear weapons staged in Europe. The USA, the x USSR, the huge stockpile-rs. England,France, China, Israel,India, Pakistan and more countries with smaller stockpiles.

It is shown that even one of the lesser stockpiled countries could cause a mankind extinction level event if it launched all its weapons and targeted them at high soot producing targets such as petroleum refineries, petroleum stockpiles, cities and forests. The resulting soot cloud would absorb enough sunlight for a large enough drop in temperatures enough to kill crops, forests and animals including much of mankind. Its is shown how the winds would spread this black death eventually even into the southern hemisphere. This is not even including the massive stockpiles of the US and x USSR. It is shown if only 1 of the major countries launched only a few hundred weapons targeted at high soot producing targets the other country would not have to fire a shot to ensure complete worldwide Nuclear Winter.

The risk of having so many multiple warhead Merv weapons is shown...much easier to target more cities and soot producing targets.

The reader is shown the majority of the past military and political leaders knew nothing about Nuclear Winter and kept producing more and more weapons for perceived defence or to intimidate other countries to do as they say. Its shown the vast superiority amount of conventional weapons by the USSR facing Eastern Europe and why the US and Eastern Europe Stockpiled so many tactical weapons in Europe to face this perceived threat. Now (late 1980s) its shown world leaders realize they have a mankind extinction possibility if even a few percentages of their total nuclear weapons are launched due to Nuclear Winter. Different amounts of nuclear weapons deployed by different bombers, cruise missiles, different classes of submarines, tacticle weapons and weapons in hardened silos are shown.

What to do about too many weapons and how to verify by all sides the dismantling and destruction of nuclear weapons?

A fascinating book how the world got into this mess and attempts are shown how to get out of it by verified nuclear weapons destruction and dismantling. The authors show the need for it to be done ASAP before a madman launches weapons and other countries follow launching enough weapons to reach the threshold level of Nuclear Winter as a limited war would be too hard to contain and may lead to mankind's extinction.

Through the TTAPS project ,over a hundred top scientists gave world leaders data showing the need for nuclear disarmament and only have enough nuclear weapons for defence but nowhere near the threshold that could trigger Nuclear Winter if launched. Unfortunately only very limited reductions in weapons have been done by treaties and verified by the different countries involved. I pray we have the time for nuclear disarmament before it is too late. 4 stars