Inferno

1991

9 minutes - English

The explosions could start at any moment. Raging infernos from hundreds of mined Kuwaiti oil wells could be Saddam Hussein’s most dangerous weapon in the Gulf War.
60 Minutes’ correspondent Mike Wallace spoke to scientific and government experts on the possible effects of thousands of burning oil wells. How would they affect American laser-guided weapons, and what would be the consequences on the environment?
Dr. Carl Sagan and Dr. Abdullah Toukan believe in the possibility of a global ecological disaster caused by thousands of tons of black smoke emitted into the atmosphere. 
But not everyone agrees. Dr. Richard Small, a Pentagon consultant, has studied computer models simulating the detonation of all 363 oil wells in Kuwait. He does not believe the smoke would rise high enough to effect climate, even in worst-case scenarios