World in 10 Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the countdown to armageddon
Aug 6, 2025
Alexandra Bell, President of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and a former arms control specialist at the US State Department, delves into the nuclear threats facing the world today as we mark 80 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. She discusses the alarming status of the Doomsday Clock, now at 89 seconds to midnight, and emphasizes the urgent need for global action to prevent a new arms race. With insights into the interconnectedness of existential risks like climate change, Bell envisions a future free of nuclear weapons, calling for renewed disarmament efforts.
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Nuclear Reckoning at 80 Years
- Eighty years after Hiroshima, we're at a nuclear reckoning point deciding if disarmament progress continues or a new arms race begins.
- The nuclear threat is growing more complex and dangerous with more actors involved, raising the stakes globally.
Doomsday Clock's Stark Warning
- The Doomsday Clock warns how close humanity is to catastrophe, symbolized as minutes to midnight.
- At 89 seconds to midnight, it marks the closest humanity has ever been to existential destruction.
Nuclear Doomsday Amid Multiple Threats
- The Doomsday Clock now reflects nuclear threats plus climate change and emerging technologies.
- Nuclear weapons remain the foremost existential risk, capable of ending humanity in an afternoon.