For children growing up during the Cold War, "duck and cover" was a regular drill in school. Recent events make many think back to the Cold War. For the major players, it was relatively peaceful, though proxy wars caused significant suffering for people in countries, like Korea and Vietnam, where they were fought.
Yet, nuclear war did not seem likely through much of the Cold War. Certainly, there were tense moments, like the Cuban missile crisis. But, recent events have made it seem more likely than it has seemed for most of my life. The "Doomsday Clock" sits at 100 seconds to midnight (https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Ads&utm_campaign=SearchAds&utm_content=DoomsdayClock_2022Statement&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0PWRBhDKARIsAPKHFGgBqwh-71w6xZBGmU5JOTxZwmdTK8gufrD4NBZyyyPJrnbTlmNHK2saAnh7EALw_wcB). The clock has been closer to midnight for the past few years due to risks of the spread of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons are seriously being discussed as an option by a major nuclear power (https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/03/26/what-are-tactical-nuclear-weapons-and-could-russia-use-them-in-ukraine). Yet, there would be no way to limit a nuclear war. Radiation could spread over a large area with lethal complications to nearby countries, triggering a response and possibly leading to WWIII. Through our history of nuclear weapons, the future of the world has been dependent on rational leaders of nuclear countries, who understand that a nuclear war is not winnable. The risk is that some are discussing their use, and others are testing new weapons (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/world/asia/north-korea-missile-icbm.html?fbclid=IwAR2UeRLOr1QhebFH2eky9vEpGUhlr_jCF6TVwt7ETApex_29UiX4_yxj9ZY).
The current war in Ukraine exposes another risk, that of an attack on a nuclear power plant, which could also cause a nuclear disaster (https://thebulletin.org/2022/03/could-an-attack-on-ukrainian-nuclear-facilities-cause-a-disaster-greater-than-chernobyl-possibly-simulations-show/), whether that was intended or not. This could force millions of people to need to be evacuated due to the risk of radiation exposure. In the midst of an ongoing war, this evacuation would be difficult, as millions are fleeing violence due to conventional weapons. Yet, failure to evacuate after such an accident could expose many to the risk of death or radiation sickness or later malignancies.
Clearly, "duck and cover" would do nothing to reduce the risk of radiation sickness or malignancy. There is no strategy to avoid the risks of nuclear war or damage to a nuclear power plant with release of radiation other than to avoid it. We must work to prevent what we cannot cure. Any of these events would be a global health catastrophe (https://www.psr.org/blog/global-medical-and-public-health-organizations-call-for-immediate-end-to-war-in-ukraine-and-critical-need-to-prevent-nuclear-escalation/).
If we are unable to stop this escalation, I fear for the future. I do not want to see suffering and death of billions of people all over the world. I do not want to see my family or myself among the suffering masses. Finally, I recall the advice from my parents, many years ago, to "pray to die in the flash."
