Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists March 23, 2023
Posted: 23rd March 2023
March 23, 2023
Personnel fighting a fire in Wyoming. Credit: US Department of Agriculture.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Why the world needs a fire departmentIf nothing is done to seriously combat the climate crisis, extreme wildfires are projected to increase by 14 percent by 2030, and by 50 percent by 2100, reports Douglas P. Fry. Read more.
BIOSECURITY
How to tell biodefense from an offensive bioweapons programDespite the risk posed by disinformation campaigns like the Russian effort to suggest that US-Ukrainian health research is offensive in nature, pandemics and other bio-threats underscore the importance biodefense programs, says Bulletin biosecurity editor Matt Field. Read more.
CLIMATE CHANGE
There’s less need to convince people of a future climate doomsday. It’s already here.Climate journalists are clear-eyed about climate threats, and solutions; whether the same can be said about people in power is less certain, writes Bulletin climate editor Jessica McKenzie. Read more.
Calling rising experts: Submit your writing to Voices of Tomorrow
In its Voices of Tomorrow feature, the Bulletin invites rising experts to submit essays, opinion pieces, and multimedia presentations addressing at least one of our core issues: nuclear risk, climate change, and threats from disruptive technologies.
IN THE NEWS
Will humans ever go extinct?In this Scientific American article, Stephanie Pappas talks with the Bulletin’s François Diaz-Maurin about the threat nuclear war poses to humanity and asks experts about other existential risks. Read more.
BIOSECURITY
“Creating the Framework for Tomorrow’s Pathogen Research” ConferenceThis April 19-20, the Bulletin’s Pathogens Project is hosting a public conference in Geneva, Switzerland bringing together specialists from around the world to develop better governance frameworks, strengthen existing guidelines and improve transparency in life sciences research. Learn more and get updates on the conference livestream.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“To avoid falling into the complacency trap, we need to hold on to an edge of dissatisfaction. Yes, many trends have been moving in the right direction, but we shouldn’t pretend that this was the best we could do.”
— Hannah Ritchie, “We need the right kind of climate optimism,” Vox
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