Global Scans · Nuclear winter · Weekly Summary

A global catastrophic risk is a hypothetical future event that has the potential to damage human well-being on a global scale. Some events could cripple or destroy modern civilization. Any event that could cause human extinction is known as an existential risk.

• [New] The largest human project ever actually entered its final reactor phase; the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, a joint tokamak project undertaken by 34 countries in southern France, continues its development, though it's unlikely to be operational until at least 2039. BGR
• [New] At an estimated cost of $22 billion, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor is the world's biggest bet on fusion energy: a project so daunting in scale that longtime geopolitical rivals have pooled their resources to share in its potential risks and rewards. CNet
• [New] Even without a functioning nuclear warhead, the Iranian military could still disperse radiological material through a dirty bomb. MIRA Safety
• [New] In 2025, the deployment of large-scale facilities such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor is expected to reach critical milestones, with neutron yield and spectral measurements playing a central role in validating plasma performance and tritium breeding efficiency. Image2003.com
• Even a limited war between India and Pakistan could cause a nuclear winter that could kill over two billion people. Pearls and Irritations
• When the U.S. begins building out its Golden Dome missile defence network, which would be the world's supreme shield against missile attacks, it will have many more options to defeat a Russian thermonuclear bomb heading into space. Forbes
• Fears of another major nuclear disaster are growing as Russia continues to launch drones and missiles along flight paths near the disused Chernobyl power plant. no2nuclearpower
• The eastern coast of Tohoku, once known for its high-quality fruits and vegetables as well as rice production, must now grapple with widespread fears over radiation contamination, perceived and real, stemming from the nuclear disaster in Fukushima. The Wondrous
• As highlighted by recent research, the humanitarian and environmental effects of nuclear weapons cannot be contained by national borders, and even a regional nuclear exchange could have devastating global effects by creating a nuclear winter. Sipri
• While the threat of nuclear disaster succeeded in mobilizing a global response that was a political success, the risk is that the climate emergency can result in fatalism and demobilization. Foreign Policy
• The scenario - a single thermonuclear missile launched by North Korea at Washington D.C. causing a cascading series of civilization-ending choices - is just one of many ways that a nuclear war could begin. Book and Film Globe

Last updated: 21 June 2026