Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 23rd 2026
Posted: 23rd March 2026
Presented in partnership with
March 23, 2026
All of the wind projects the Trump administration is attempting to stall or kill have gone through extensive permitting and review processes with the Defense Department and other federal agencies. (Photo by Reegan Fraser, Unsplash)
Judges aren’t buying claims that wind farms threaten national security, for good reason
The supposed national security threat that the Trump administration has used as an excuse to try to kill five energy projects that would provide cheaper, cleaner electricity to 20 states and Washington, D.C. is largely a mirage, writes Jessica McKenzie. Read more.
AI in the information ecosystem and its impact on nuclear escalation
AI brings a significant possibility of elevating nuclear escalation risks. Herbert Lin, a senior research scholar and research fellow at Stanford University, outlines three hypothetical, yet plausible, scenarios where AI could have a role in nuclear escalation: Taiwan, a US-North Korean confrontation, and a NATO exercise triggering a crisis in Europe. This Bulletin magazine article is available to all readers.
A clarinetist, a high school student, and four climate deniers write a science paper, with a little help from AI…
Last week, Bulletin climate editor Jessica McKenzie received a press release claiming the discovery of “fatal flaws” in historical ocean warming data. The paper is, as one career climate scientist put it, “absolute nonsense.” But it’s gained traction online. Read more.
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VIDEO
The state of climate change in this year’s Doomsday Clock discussion
Bulletin Science and Security Board member Inez Fung discusses global warming concerns and solutions that factored into the 2026 Doomsday Clock conversation, from her point of view. Stay tuned for more interviews from the SASB. Watch here.
UPCOMING EVENT
A nuclear renaissance?
Join the Bulletin and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs for a discussion on nuclear power, geopolitics, and energy security. Speakers include University of Chicago professor and member of the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors Robert Rosner, the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Doug Scott, and Bulletin senior advisor and Council senior fellow Rachel Bronson on March 30 for a discussion on nuclear power, geopolitics, and energy security. Register here.
IN THE NEWS
Neutralizing Iran’s nuclear material during a war is ‘nearly mission impossible‘
Bulletin nuclear affairs editor François Diaz-Maurin spoke with journalist Matthew Gault on Gault’s podcast, “Angry Planet.” Listen here.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
United States nuclear weapons, 2026
“In this issue of the Nuclear Notebook, we estimate that the United States maintains a stockpile of approximately 3,700 warheads—an unchanged estimate from the previous year,” write Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, and Mackenzie Knight-Boyle. Read more.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The worst-case scenario is a nuclear incident, and that’s something that worries us the most. As much as we prepare, there’s nothing that can prevent the harm that will come … the region’s way — and globally if this eventually happens — and the consequences are going to last for decades.”
— Hanan Balkhy, World Health Organization Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, ”’Worst-case scenario’: Middle East nuclear concerns haunt top health officials,” Politico.eu
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