Each year since 1945 , the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists send a letter to the UN Security Council in which they tell them how close we are from nuclear final solution using a Doomsday Clock . In 1960 we were two bit from midnight . Theirnew 2014 report says we ’re still five minutesfrom the Apocalypse . “ Five minutes is too close , ” they say .
speak at Berlin ’s historic Brandenburg Gate in mid - June , President Obama proposed a reduction in the limit on US and Russian deployed strategic atomic warheads from the current New START level—1,550 warheads on each side — to 1,000 .
Obama ’s speech came just day after Iran elect a new president , Hassan Rouhani , who cursorily changed the tonicity of the state ’s foreign policy , clearing the itinerary for the first direct talks between the United States and Iran in 35 age .
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Around the mankind , much nuclear textile remain unlatched .
Soon after Obama ’s Brandenburg Gate language , Russia offered political mental home to Edward Snowden , the former National Security Agency declarer who leak out US classified documents , create an outside media sensation , and Obama called off a planned summit with Russian loss leader Vladimir Putin . There appears to have been little movement since on nuclear accord between the United States and Russia .
China is reported to be modernizing and quantitativelyincreasing its atomic arsenal , albeit at a slow tread . India and Pakistan continue toexpand their arsenals and stockpile of fissionable materials . Both country are make grow and try out new missiles , many nuclear - capable . India plans to construct a nuclear U-boat fleet and to develop a ballistic missile - defence system , the deployment of which could destabilize the subcontinent .
Despite authoritative reports that it has a atomic weapons arsenal , Israel continues a insurance of nuclear ambiguity while strenuously trying to scuttle talks on Iran ’s nuclear efforts . In February 2013 , North Korea conducted yet another nuclear arm test , the first under its new drawing card , Kim Jong - un , and release a series of military threats , some involving the economic consumption of atomic weapons .
The nuclear threat is unsound enough , but the plug-in talks about many other dangers that threat our globular selection . The certainty of clime variety that hold causing more and more extreme crisis every twelvemonth is one of them , but they also manoeuvre out at late technical developing that have greatly speed in 2013 :
Headlines from 2013 only suggest at the stop number and ambit of technological change — from celluloid biota to three - dimensional printing to robotics and beyond — that is sweeping the globe . The electropositive aspect of this fast - moving technological progress masquerade a core problem : What happens when scientist create a technology with the best of intentions , but gild can not properly control it ? Bioengineering , for instance , might carry off some disease — but it might also put infectious weapon in the hand of terrorists . advanced robots might help governments react to calamity — or be programmed to hunt and kill human beings with ruthless efficiency .
It ’s a grim prospect , but they also offer sensible solutions :
Demand that US and Russian drawing card return to the negotiating table . Once there , they should take the brave footstep necessitate to further cringe their nuclear armory , to scrap their deployment of destabilizing missile defenses , and to reduce the alert levels of their atomic artillery .
brook international discussions about the humanitarian effects of nuclear weapon . Talks begun at the Oslo group discussion in March brought developing land to the table and increased knowledge about the risk posed by any nuclear exchange to body politic around the world . We encourage the United States , Russia , France , the United Kingdom , and China to unite these talks or else of boycotting them , as they did last springiness .
Exercise political leadership on climate modification . domain drawing card must curb carbon copy - utter practices and confirm free energy technologies — include confidential information , solar , and geothermal powerfulness genesis and vigorous zip efficiency measures — that will mitigate further disastrous alteration of the mood . The science on climate change is absolved , and many multitude around the humankind already are suffer from destructive storm , H2O and food for thought insecurity , and extreme temperature . It is no longer potential to forestall all climate modification , but you could determine further suffering — if you dissemble now .
Sadly , it ’s the same advice every yr and every class it gets mostly disregard .
Keep up the good employment , everyone .
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