UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed an independent scientific panel of experts to study the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war, a spokesperson said Friday.

"The establishment of this 21-member panel is a response to a global environment in which the risk of nuclear war is higher than at any point since the depths of the Cold War," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, said at a daily briefing.

The panel of experts is tasked with examining the consequences on a local, regional and planetary scale in the days, weeks and decades following a nuclear war, he said.

The panelists are leaders in their fields across a range of scientific disciplines, and come from all regions of the world, Haq said.

The panel will hold its first meeting in September this year and will submit a final report to the UN General Assembly in 2027, he said. ■