Physicist Carlo Rovelli’s warning of imminent nuclear apocalypse highlights growing geopolitical risk that could reshape defense, energy and investment priorities

Executive summary: Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli released a book warning that the world is nearing a nuclear apocalypse because current leaders lack the strategic foresight of past Cold War figures. Such warnings amplify perceptions of nuclear risk, which can drive changes in defence budgets, energy‑security strategies and investor sentiment toward sectors linked to security and resilience.

Who is involved: Carlo Rovelli, NATO and European policymakers, defence industry leaders, investors in nuclear‑energy startups, and commentators on international security.

Likely next: Expect heightened discussion in NATO capitals about conventional and nuclear deterrence, increased funding for defence‑industrial capacity and advanced nuclear technologies, and possible revisiting of arms‑control frameworks.

Rovelli’s new book argues that current leadership lacks the crisis management skill shown by Kennedy and Khrushchev during the Cold War, bringing the world closer to nuclear brinkmanship. While the claim is provocative, it underscores real concerns about declining arms control dialogue and rising conventional tensions that already influence defence spending and energy policy. The piece does not present new data but synthesizes existing geopolitical anxieties into a stark narrative that could accelerate policy debates on rearmament and nuclear deterrence.