Bulletin of Atomic Scientists January 27, 2017

Friday, January 27, 2017

2017 Doomsday Clock Announcement   The Bulletin’s Science and Security Board has made its decision and announced the 2017 time of the Doomsday Clock yesterday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Watch the announcement to see which events and trends influenced their decision, and read the Clock Statement here. GIF Image: Pentagram   The terrifying geography of nuclear and radiological insecurity in South Asia   Hannah E. Haegeland, Reema Verma The authors mapped the target threat environment in South Asia’s two states with advancing nuclear weapons programs, India and Pakistan. They found that opportunities for an incident of terror via weapons of mass destruction converge in South Asia. New Voices of Tomorrow essay: Turning down the heat between India and Pakistan Saurabh Todi The United States has a new best friend, India, and that friend would like the White House to stabilize the subcontinent by putting more pressure on Pakistan to deescalate tensions. CSI comes to nuclear security Jerry Sergei Davydov Viewers of television cop shows like “CSI” are familiar with the idea of how forensics can be used to track down a culprit. A similar system has been slowly emerging in nations across the world that could aid in tracking nuclear materials.   The Bulletin on Capitol Hill   Congressman Bill Foster hosted Science and Security Board members David Titley and Sharon Squassoni, along with Bulletin editor John Mecklin, to give a briefing to Congressional aides on the factors that affect the time on the Doomsday Clock. Click on the link to see the Doomsday Dashboard, which details some of those factors.   The world just ticked a bit closer to Doomsday thanks to Trump Ray Pierrehumbert Science and Security Board member Ray Pierrehumbert was published in New Scientist on the day of the Clock Announcement. Trump supporters don’t like his climate policies Dana Nuccitelli So why did they vote for him anyway? An environmental scientist's view. Arms control is realistic; general disarmament probably isn't   Polina Sinovets   If a concept has proven useful in the past—as nuclear deterrence has done—one must proceed very carefully before discarding it. The second round continues in our debate over a UN committee's resolution that would mandate negotiations toward a treaty outlawing nuclear weapons. The Doomsday Clock advances Lawrence M. Krauss, David Titley Science and Security Board members Lawrence Krauss and David Titley were published in the New York Times on the day of the Clock announcement. Image: AFP News Agency Our very unscientific poll on the Doomsday Clock time   We thought it would be interesting to once again ask our readers where they think the Doomsday Clock's minute hand should rest. Although not scientific by any stretch, the poll received five times the respondents this year over last, and here's how you voted:   1. Less than 3 minutes to midnight: 79% 2. Stay at 3 minutes to   midnight: 10% 3. More than 3 minutes to midnight: 11%     Global Nuclear Power Database, 1951-2017   World Nuclear Energy Status Report, Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, Visionscarto Energy watchers pay attention: Our new data visualization puts a wealth of information on 60 years of nuclear power plant startups and shutdowns at your fingertips.   We are helping the world pay attention, and we need your support more than ever to keep that attention focused. About the Bulletin For more than 70 years the Bulletin has engaged science leaders, policy makers, and the interested public on topics of nuclear weapons and disarmament, the changing energy landscape, climate change, and emerging technologies.

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