Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, December 29th, 2025

Posted: 31st December 2025

December 29, 2025

A person holds a flag that is flipped upside down and rippling in the wind

Flying a flag upside down is a symbol of distress often invoked by protesters across the political spectrum. (Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash)

Reflecting on a year of attacks on climate science (and three other stories)

One of the defining themes of the past 11 months was “attacks on science and expertise,” writes Bulletin climate editor Jessica McKenzie. “But while I think attacks on science were the defining story of 2025—at least as far as climate goes—the Bulletin also rose above the fray to cover other fascinating environmental stories.” Read more.

**Best of 2025: A baker’s dozen of fresh, hot articles from the Bulletin’s magazine**

Explore a roundup of the best Bulletin magazine articles published in 2025 and chosen by executive editor Dan Drollette Jr. So non-subscribing readers can see why these pieces were chosen, we’ve made the articles completely free for the next few weeks. Read more.

The brightest light at the end of the tunnel

The Bulletin has championed solar power and other renewable energy sources nearly as long as it has been warning about the dangers of nuclear weapons, writes author and environmentalist Bill McKibben. If humanity survives the climate crisis, it will likely be due to the solar revolution. This magazine article is available to all readers for a limited time.

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Looming climate doomsday demands creativity, ambition, and societal transformation

Youth climate strikes have dissipated, a climate change denialist is back in the White House, and the public is as apathetic as ever to the threat of climate crisis. Climate activist Zanagee Artis shares his thoughts about the path forward for a movement in need of revitalization. This magazine article is available to all reads for a limited time.

BULLETIN EVENT

Art + Science: Harnessing the Power of Art and Storytelling

How do we harness the power of art in drawing attention to the most pressing global threats? How do we support artists in the most trying of times to tell the stories that bring us all together?

To explore these questions, join us for a virtual event featuring David Harrington, founder of the Kronos Quartet, whose music has long confronted the urgencies of social change; science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, whose work imagines social transformation through engaging, creative prose; Lovely Umayam, a nuclear policy expert rooted in activism and art; and Alexandra Bell, who is bringing the Bulletin’s long-standing devotion of arts-driven global engagement into a new era. Register here.

A woman and child stand in front of a store that has a large fishtank in its window Inside one fish says I think nuclear disarmament holds promise Another fish replies Yes but I dont see much government action on pollution of the ocean A third chimes in saying Its the ozone layer that worries me

A cartoon by Harley Schwadron featured in an Bulletin magazine issue in May 2001.

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