Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 7, 2023
Posted: 7th September 2023
September 7, 2023
President Joe Biden talks on the phone with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on February 9, 2022, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz, via Flickr)
NUCLEAR RISK
Biden’s horse-trading on nuclear technology & fuels is an unprecedented proliferation risk
After decades of US caution over weapons-grade nuclear materials, President Biden may instead be remembered as a global nuclear proliferator, writes professor Alan J. Kuperman. Read more.
CLIMATE CHANGE
ExxonMobil predicts global temperature increase over 2 degrees Celsius by 2050
In a new report, the oil company predicts that efforts to keep the temperature from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius by 2050 will fail and that oil and gas will still meet half of global energy needs, reports Grist fellow Lyric Aquino. Read more.
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IN THE NEWS
Humans very nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago, genetics suggest
If the Doomsday Clock was around 900,000 years ago, it might’ve been only a second away from midnight, says Brian Handwerk in the Smithsonian Magazine. “An intriguing new genetic study suggests that our ancestors dwindled to just 1,280 breeding individuals during that era.” Read more.
IN THE NEWS
Pop culture in the atomic age
In this episode of the Press the Button podcast, Bulletin Chief Audience Officer John Pope discusses the role the Doomsday Clock has played in pop culture, how the Bulletin is connected to the new Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer, and more. Listen now.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Today, the risk of nuclear detonations is higher than in decades, higher even than during the cold war. The Doomsday Clock stands at an unprecedented 90 seconds to midnight.”
— Stefan Pretterhofer, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, “With World Closer to Global Catastrophe than Ever Before, General Assembly President Urges Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Be Put into Force,”United Nations
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