The Atomic Bomb

The Atomic Bomb

                        The atomic bomb is one of the most environment-devastating things ever created by man. It has the capabilities to wipe out cities and civilizations. Some things that need to be highlighted are the mechanics of an atomic bomb, the impacts on multiple different variables, and possible solutions for it. This essay will be evaluating those through facts and research to discover the truth about the atomic bomb.

In order to understand the atomic bomb, we need to learn about how it works. Atomic bombs work through a nuclear reaction (1). This nuclear reaction is called fission (1). Fission works by a neutron hitting an atom and causing it to split into 2 other atoms (2). When the atoms split, they release up to 3 neutrons (1). The three neutrons then hit the other atoms and hence create a nuclear reaction (1). This process of element decay (the splitting of the atom) creates a ton of energy and that is why it explodes. When it explodes, fission happens rapidly and creates more and more energy causing a huge explosion.

Another big thing that must be considered is the impacts of the atomic bomb. An atomic bomb is devastating to nature, the globe, and wildlife. When an atomic bomb strikes the ground and detonates, it causes a large amount of debris to fall onto the earth covering almost everything (3). This means that vegetation is not able to grow. A atomic bomb also causes something called a “nuclear winter” (3). This means that the ash and debris from the explosion blocks out the sun (3). Life obviously needs the sun to grow, so it would prevent wildlife from getting the necessary sunlight. When a bomb hits the earth, the radiation makes the sun more powerful afterward (4). This would mean that it would heat up which would be very harmful to anything natural trying to live there. This all would impact humans and anything trying to live there. A big impact on humans would be the radiation and the projectiles from the blast (3). This would make people sick and potentially kill and/or maim them.

People often wonder what possible solutions there might be to an atomic bomb. One big solution is to not make them (5). This would mean that the problem would be completely wiped. Another possibility is to strengthen the Nuclear Treaties (6). This would mean that they are almost never used. There is a ban treaty, but it isn’t that tight and doesn’t include countries that pose a potential bomb threat (7). Another way to help is to require the counting of bombs (8). This would mean that it is always clear as to where the bombs are at all times.

The devastation of Hiroshima was terrible and should never be repeated (9). The lesson hopefully was learned. This essay was written to explore the atomic bomb. The means of which this was done was by understanding how the atomic bomb functions, what the consequences are, and possible solutions of this recent, scary technology are. Overall the evidence points to the atomic bomb being a horrible thing. This is clear through the scary-devastating impacts on virtually everything around it. This is also a given because of how many there are in the world. There are 12,705 nuclear warheads today and given the impacts of one of those being dropped, it would be world shaking if a war broke out (10). Overall the scariness and the uncertainty of the atomic bomb is something that should be avoided at all costs for the good of the world and everything living on it.

References:
1. https://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-bomb.htm
2. https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/science-behind-atom-bomb
3. https://education.seattlepi.com/ocean-dead-zones-effects-marine-pollution-4760.html
4. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sch&AN=10261758&site=ehost-live
5. https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/solutions#:~:text=International%20agreements-,The%20only%20way%20to%20completely%20eliminate%20nuclear%20risks%20is,nuclear%20weapons%20from%20the%20planet.&text=Roughly%209%2C000%20nuclear%20weapons%20are,of%20submarines%20across%20the%20world.
6. https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/#:~:text=Nuclear%20weapons%20are%20the%20most,arise%20from%20t   heir%20very%20existence.
7. https://www.icrc.org/en/document/why-nuclear-ban-treaty-matters
8. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=82556886&site=ehost-live
9. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1135787&site=ehost-live
10. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/nuclear-warheads-by-country-1945-2022/#:~:text=Nuclear%20Warheads%20Currently%20in%20Possession%20by%20Countries&text=As%20of%202022%2C%20about%2012%2C700,%2C%20aircraft%2C%20ships%20and%20submarines.