The documentary, Nuclear Armageddon: How Close Are We?, will air on BBC Two tonight; it acts as an important reminder to the public that the current nuclear threat is at its highest in decades.
It explores nuclear tensions between Russia and NATO, Britain’s plans to expand and modernise its nuclear arsenal, CND’s campaign against the return of US nuclear weapons to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, and the global effort to ban nuclear weapons.
Its timing comes ahead of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ unveiling of the Doomsday Clock on Tuesday, 23 January. The hands currently stand at 90 seconds to midnight. However, in the 12 months since the Bulletin’s last announcement, geopolitical tensions are increasingly precarious: the war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year; the ongoing crisis in the Middle East risks spilling into a regional conflict; and nuclear powers continue to invest billions of pounds in modernising and and increasing their arsenals.
CND welcomes the fact that the media is increasing its attention on the very real threat posed by nuclear weapons and calls on anyone concerned by the issues raised in the documentary to join us in our efforts to end this threat for good.
CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said:
“This documentary highlights the important fact that rather than working towards nuclear disarmament, nuclear powers are actively doing the opposite, by increasing and modernising their arsenals. With the war in Ukraine about to enter its third year and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East threatening to escalate into a wider war – nuclear Armageddon in 2024 is becoming a grim possibility. We call on anyone who is shocked by what they have watched to join us in campaigning for an end to nuclear weapons – and to end these ongoing conflicts through peace and dialogue.”
Image: Screenshot from Nuclear Armageddon: How Close Are We?