PeaceVoice
International
Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Robert Dodge
(10/1) "Nuclear weapons present an
unacceptable danger to humanity. The only real way to
eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons is to eliminate
nuclear weapons."¾UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Today is the International Day for
the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. Recognizing the
growing concerns over the catastrophic humanitarian
effects of even a single nuclear weapon and the findings
of the "Nuclear Famine" scientific studies, the U.N.
General Assembly declared the International Day in 2013 as
part of a series of efforts to raise public awareness and
to seek deeper engagement on nuclear disarmament matters.
The opening theme of the U.N. this
year starting with the International Day of Peace is
"Climate Action for Peace." There is significant hope this
year as people around the world are mobilizing and
demanding action by their governments on the two
interconnected existential threats facing our world,
nuclear war and climate change. This past week’s
international youth climate actions have drawn attention
to their demands for action by world leaders.
The climate crisis also increases
the risk of nuclear war. The Bulletin of Atomic
Scientists’ Doomsday Clock, stands at 2 minutes to
midnight, where midnight represents nuclear apocalypse,
the closest since 1947. This is mainly due to three
factors: 1. unstable political leadership in the nuclear
states, 2. increased risk of accidental nuclear detonation
or cyberterrorism due to the vulnerability of the high and
growing reliance on automated systems, and 3. climate
change.
Climate change multiplies the
potential for conflict over scarce resources such as land,
drinking water and food reserves, increasing the pressure
to migrate. Political collapse, in turn, leads to
extremist leaders gaining control over nuclear weapons,
which poses a risk in vulnerable regions around the world
where there already is political tension. This is being
seen in the war in Syria which many call the first climate
war, bringing the U.S. and Russia, the two largest nuclear
countries into direct conflict more than any time in
history.
As the nuclear nations of the
world continue to threaten our future, they are losing
their leadership voice. They continue with their addiction
to fossil fuels and nuclear weapons as a means of
maintaining these codependencies. The world’s voice of
reason is shifting to the non-nuclear nations who have
made the connection between the environment and nuclear
war demonstrating a comprehension and determination to rid
the world of nuclear weapons through the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This Treaty with 27 nation
states ratified as this day begins will see more
ratifications today as it moves towards the necessary 50
nations to become international law and enter into force.
This effort to abolish nuclear weapons is moving faster
than any previous weapon of mass destruction (WMD) ban
including biologic, chemical and landmine treaties.
Grassroots efforts are occurring
in each of the nuclear nations to push their governments
to support the Treaty. In the United States there is a
rapidly growing movement called "Back from the Brink"
which endorses, as a key component, negotiations among the
nuclear nations to abolish their weapons and support the
Treaty while simultaneously taking immediate precautionary
measures to prevent nuclear war. These include:
- Renounce the option of using
nuclear weapons first.
- Ending the sole, unchecked
authority of any U.S. president to launch a nuclear
attack.
- Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off
hair-trigger alert.
- Canceling the plan to replace
its entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons at an
estimated cost of $1.7 trillion over the next 30 years.
- Actively pursuing a verifiable
agreement among nuclear nations to negotiate a
verifiable complete abolition of all nuclear weapons.
This movement grows every day.
Most recently the Sierra Club has endorsed it identifying
nuclear war among the greatest environmental threats we
face, joining over 260 groups including 350.org,
Indivisible, Union of Concerned Scientists, Federation of
American Scientists, Physicians for Social Responsibility,
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation among a myriad of scientific,
peace, and virtually every faith group in the nation.
Also, 35 cities, 4 states have joined the Call in
demanding action now. Just this week the World Summit of
Nobel Peace Laureates endorsed the initiative. Individuals
are encouraged to endorse as well at
www.preventnuclearwar.org.
This year alone, the United States
is spending over $61 Billion on nuclear weapons programs.
These doomsday expenditures could
be spent alternatively to fund the Green New Deal
developing sustainable energy technologies and providing
jobs for the future.
Ultimately there cannot be peace
on the planet without peace with the planet.
Vaclav Havel said "hope is not the
conviction that something will turn out well but the
certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it
turns out." Inaction is not an option.
Making the connection between the
environment, nuclear war, peace and the survival of our
world is critical. Supporting, informing and engaging the
work of young and old alike will make the difference. Join
this effort and demand action now at this critical time.
Ask yourself, "What is my role?",
for each of us does have a role to play in bringing forth
a peaceful and sustainable world. It is not necessarily a
big role or small role. It is your role.
Robert Dodge is the Co-Chair of the Security Committee of National Physicians for
Social Responsibility and is the President of Physicians for
Social Responsibility Los Angeles.
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