|
07/01/18
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Adjusts Clock From 7 to 5 Minutes
Before Midnight; "Deteriorating" Global Situation Cited on Nuclear
Weapons and New Factor: Climate Change.
"IT IS 5 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT" --website of the BAS
|
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) is moving the minute hand of
the Doomsday Clock two minutes closer to midnight. It is now 5 minutes
to midnight. Reflecting global failures to solve the problems posed by
nuclear weapons and the climate crisis, the decision by the BAS Board of
Directors was made in consultation with the Bulletin's Board of Sponsors,
which includes 18 Nobel Laureates.
BAS announced the Clock change today at an unprecedented joint news conference
held at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington,
DC, and the Royal Society in London. In a statement supporting the decision
to move the hand of the Doomsday Clock, the BAS Board focused on two major
sources of catastrophe: the perils of 27,000 nuclear weapons, 2000 of them
ready to launch within minutes; and the destruction of human habitats from
climate change. In articles by 14 leading scientists and security experts
writing in the January-February issue of theBulletin of the Atomic Scientists
(http://www.thebulletin.org), the potential for catastrophic damage from human-made technologies is
explored further.
Created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Doomsday
Clock has been adjusted only 17 times prior to today, most recently in
February 2002 after the events of 9/11. Highlights of the new statement
from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists include the following:
* The second nuclear era, unlike the dawn of the first nuclear age in 1945, is characterized by a world of porous national borders, rapid communications that facilitate the spread of technical knowledge, and expanded commerce in potentially dangerous dual-use technologies and materials. The Pakistan-based network that provided nuclear technologies to Libya, North Korea, and Iran, is an example of the new challenges confronting the international community.
* Sixteen years after the end of the Cold War, following substantial reductions
in nuclear weapons by the United States and Russia, the two major powers
have now stalled in their progress toward deeper reductions in their arsenals.
* More than 1400 metric tons of highly enriched uranium and approximately
500 tons of plutonium are distributed worldwide at some 140 sites, in unguarded
civilian power plants and university research reactors, as well as in military
facilities.
* Global warming poses a dire threat to human civilization that is second only to nuclear weapons. Through flooding and desertification, climate change threatens the habitats and agricultural resources that societies depend upon for survival. As such, climate change is also likely to contribute to mass migrations and even to wars over arable land, water, and other natural resources.
* The prospect of civilian nuclear power development in countries around
the world raises further concerns about the availability of nuclear materials.
Growth in nuclear power is anticipated to be especially high in Asia, where
Japan is planning to bring on line five new plants by 2010, and China intends
to build 30 nuclear reactors by 2020.
* Several factors are driving the turn to nuclear power--aging nuclear
reactors, rising energy demands, a desire to diversify energy portfolios
and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and the need to reduce carbon emissions
that cause climate change. Yet expansion of nuclear power increases the
risks of nuclear proliferation.
|
The BAS statement also outlines a number of steps that, if taken immediately, could help to prevent disaster, including the following:
* Reduce the launch readiness of U.S. and Russian nuclear forces and completely
remove nuclear weapons from the day-to-day operations of their militaries.
* Reduce the number of nuclear weapons by dismantling, storing, and destroying
more than 20,000 warheads over the next 10 years, as well as greatly increasing
efforts to locate, store, and secure nuclear materials in Russia and elsewhere.
* Stop production of nuclear weapons material, including highly enriched uranium and plutonium-whether in military or civilian facilities.
* Engage in serious and candid discussion about the potential expansion
of nuclear power worldwide. While nuclear energy production does not produce
carbon dioxide, it does raise other significant concerns, such as the health
and environmental hazards of nuclear waste, the production of nuclear materials
that can be diverted to the production of weapons, and the safety and security
of the plants themselves. The second nuclear era, unlike the dawn of the
first nuclear age in 1945, is characterized by a world of porous national
borders, rapid communications that facilitate the spread of technical knowledge,
and expanded commerce in potentially dangerous dual-use technologies and
materials. The Pakistan-based network that provided nuclear technologies
to Libya, North Korea, and Iran, is an example of the new challenges confronting
the international community.
|
Additional information is available on the website of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
|
