[mikepalmer]

Yes, the topic of the article is human extinction, and one can be pedantic and say, why stray off topic? However, conceptually close is near-extinction, with unfathomable suffering and waste, destruction of nearly all human culture, nearly all humans, and nearly all plant and animal life. It's worth a sentence or two to mention this in the article, to avoid confusion on the part of the reader that the author wishes minimize the negative effects of nuclear war - which would perhaps make it more acceptable in a way.

That said, the analysis seems sound, and despite the chance that the conclusion could be misconstrued or misused, it is important to remind voters graphically of the horrors of nuclear war. That's a better strategy to avoid both extinction and near-extinction, rather than counting on military planners to not overshoot their goals of near-extinction.