Are nuclear war and climate catastrophe two separate crises, or one civilizational threat with two faces?

This week, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation President Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes joined geopolitical economist Radhika Desai for an in-depth discussion of the nuclear threat and climate change.

Dr. Hughes explained how the threats differ in their timelines but intersect in their consequences. Climate-driven resource scarcity could intensify conflict and increase the risk of nuclear weapons use. A nuclear war, meanwhile, could send enormous quantities of soot into the atmosphere, block sunlight, lower global temperatures for years, and devastate food production.

The conversation also examined the scientific evidence behind climate change. Dr. Hughes discussed how carbon isotope measurements trace the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide directly to the burning of fossil fuels, and ice-core records show that current CO₂ levels are unprecedented in at least 800,000 years.

Dr. Hughes and Desai further explored the relationship between environmental destruction, economic inequality, and systems built around continuous growth. They emphasized that neither crisis is beyond solution: humanity knows how to dismantle nuclear weapons and possesses the renewable-energy resources needed to move away from fossil fuels.

Watch the full video below!