nuclear disarmament the basics
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Your Life in a World of Nuclear WeaponsTHE ATOMIC AGE
Presented by Project for Nuclear Awareness© PNA, October 2009. All rights reserved, contact PNA for use with credit.
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HISTORY OF DISSENT
THE NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT MOVEMENT
• Late 1940s Scientists, Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors
• 1960's Movement Against Nuclear Testing
• 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, NPT,
• 1980s Nuclear Freeze Movement changes Reagan's Mind
• START1: Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
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THE COLD WAR LEGACY
• The United States and Russia = 95% of global nuclear weapons arsenal
• The U.S. and Russia each have 2,500 missiles on hair trigger alert, ready to launch in 15 minutes.
• U.S. has maintained high level of military spending since Cold War, unlike allies
• New Threats of Today: Nuclear Terrorism
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“We will make the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons a central element in our nuclear policy.”
“We’ll negotiate with Russia to achieve deep reductions in both our nuclear arsenals and… work with other …powers to reduce global stockpiles dramatically.”
“We will work with the Senate to ratify the Comprehensive-Test-Ban Treaty….”
“I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile materials.”
“I will not develop new nuclear weapons.”
U.S. President Barack Obama
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NUCLEAR SPENDING
US FEDERAL BUDGET FY 2008 FIGURES IN $ BILLION
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HEALTH EFFECTS• Radiation Poisoning
• Internal damage to nerve cells • Severe loss of white blood cells (susceptible to disease)• Reduced production of blood platelets (Hemorrhaging)
• Cancers, leukemia, multiple myeloma, sterility, miscarriages, hyperthyroidism, blood disorders premature aging
• Still born, long-term gene mutations, mental disorders.
• Damaged/Destroyed healthcare infrastructure
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ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
•Hanford Washington- 53 Million gallons of radioactive waste
•Life span of radioactive waste= 100,000 + years
•No long term storage solution
• Environmental Colonialism
•Reduce use of nuclear materials
•Tighten monitoring of nuclear waste
•Increase funding for solutions for waste storage
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AGRICULTURAL IMPACT: CANADA
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THE BOMB TODAY Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones Nuclear weapons states Nuclear sharing Neither, but NPT
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NUCLEAR TREATIES FOR A WORLD WITHOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS
• START-Plus Treaty: A strategic arms treaty between US and Russia, which expires in December. Obama and Medvedev have agreed to cut strategic nuclear arms by 30%.
• Tactical nukes: The US should remove tactical nuclear weapons from Central Europe. • Fissile Materials: Require improved monitoring system for nuclear materials to prevent the construction of new weapons.
• CTBT: We need a comprehensive test ban, to stop the arms race from resuming, and growing.
• Needed: Agreements with Iran, North Korea, to respect and enforce the NPT- Non-Proliferation Treaty.
September 24ths UN Security Council meeting, chaired by President Obama, showed consensus for a nuclear weapons-free world.December: The Copenhagen Climate Treaty Conference on climate change shows the world is deeply concerned about the environment.However, environmental reform is incomplete without nuclear disarmament. Nothing can damage the biosphere more permanently, than nuclear weapons use.
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Time for Decision:
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
• CTBT conference September 2009
• Global ban on nuclear testing will prevent new nuclear weapons
• Nine nations must ratify, including U.S.
• 67 votes needed in the U.S. Senate, including 7-10 Republican Senators
• Tell your Senator to support the CTBT
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Learn More. Take Action.
• International Youth Dialogue for Disarmament October 26th-27, 2009
• Ongoing Congressional visits to D.C.-• PNA Visits on Test Ban and treaties• Youth Visits- State Dept. and Congress- see us for the dates!
Register for conferences, or Info: www.projectfornuclearawarenss.org www.bang-usa.orgCall PNA: 215-546-3030 Email: [email protected] Washington Trips: Call or Email PNA-
Emily Gleason [email protected] Kim Nguyen [email protected]