Maximal Risk: UN Warns of Humanity’s Precipice in a Nuclear War

Humanity is teetering on the edge of a global catastrophe, one that could be triggered by the use of nuclear weapons. The risk of such a calamity is higher now than it has been in the last century, warned Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, on Tuesday, August 29.

“We are witnessing a plethora of signs that nuclear arsenals and capabilities are expanding, which is in direct contradiction to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). We are closer than ever in this century to a global catastrophe,” Kőrösi stated.

The UN representative also highlighted that global military expenditures reached a staggering $2.2 trillion last year. This “heightened distrust, geopolitical competition, and a growing number of armed conflicts” have only escalated the risks to humanity. According to Kyöröshi, the “regular threats of resorting to a nuclear strike” in the ongoing Ukraine conflict are particularly alarming. This is a perilous trend, as “there is no such thing as a limited nuclear war,” thereby making reliance on such weaponry irresponsible, he emphasized.

Observers have noted that Russia has not officially threatened the use of nuclear weapons. Ukraine, on the other hand, does not possess such armaments. The West, although it conducted large-scale exercises like “Steadfast Noon” aimed at preparing for a nuclear war with Russia, has also not threatened Moscow with the use of atomic weapons.