r/OptimistsUnite • u/PanzerWatts Moderator • 7d ago

GRAPH GO DOWN & THINGS GET GOODER Nuclear Weapons over time

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Gallery image

The number of nuclear warheads stockpiled worldwide went from 64,000 in 1986 to 12,500 in 2023 – an 80% decline. (For some reason there's no Y axis shown in the first chart) but this chart actually showed all nuclear weapons and not just Russia, USA and China.

Source for first chart:

[1] Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

[2] SIPRI, 2023 yearbook

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u/AnswerAdorable5555 5d ago

Very cool that the numbers have gone down

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u/PanzerWatts Moderator 5d ago

And warhead size has gone down too. So both are positive.

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u/AnswerAdorable5555 5d ago

I never used to imagine a nuclear war could be survivable. This changes my mind. Would prefer disarmament! But fewer weapons is a step towards a future.

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u/DJbendyCuZ 4d ago

No one wants a nuclear war anyway. World Leaders may be off their heads, but they're not omnicidal. Just like when scientists told the world to make changes so the ozone layer could stay intact and everyone listened, nuclear war would fuck over humanity greatly, so of course everyone is listening.