I got wondering about this while waiting for a bus.
We know that large volcanic explosions such as the Mount Tambora eruption have led to cooling due to ash, etc, in the atmosphere. We also know that increasing levels of carbon dioxide increase the heat retention of the atmosphere, leading to warming.
During WW2, there was a lot of industrial activity, plus actual fighting and burning cities, which presumably led to increased pollution and smoke and carbon dioxide emissions. Do we know whether this had any global effect of the earth’s climate?
The amount of extra industrial activity during WWII would be a tiny blip in history, especially considering that modern industrialization certainly exceeds it worldwide by a huge percentage. The total amount of burning cities would be dwarfed by any major forest fire. There are forest fires in the western US that cover 1000 square miles.
And none of the graphs of warming shows any sign of unusual activity during the time, either.
World population has doubled since then. Even if all of us were at peace all over the world, something that never happens, the increased population and what it takes to support it would affect the environment far more than the fairly localized war activity in WWII would.
