SAT 27 JAN 2018
PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
HUMAN SURVIVAL PROJECT
DOOMSDAY CLOCK AT 2 MINS TO MIDNIGHT MEANS WORLD IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME
ABOLITION OF NUKE WEAPONS, NUKE RISK REDUCTION, MUST TOP PRIORITY LIST
'2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT' SHOULD BE A WAKEUP CALL
The current position of the symbolic 'Doomsday Clock' of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, at two minutes to midnight is alarming and should rocket nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament up to the top of every politicians priority list.
Civilization will not indefinitely survive a Doomsday Clock reading of '2 minutes to midnight'. At some point midnight itself will strike.
The Doomsday Clock is by no means the only estimate that suggests the risk of an (accidental or otherwise) nuclear apocalypse is as high as it has ever been: such estimates have now been emanating from former US secretaries of Defense, and former US and Russian commanders of nuclear forces for a number of years, each year becoming more dire.
In Australia at least, nuclear disarmament has been absolutely nowhere on the spectrum of political debate. The same seems to be true elsewhere. This must change if we are to avert catastrophe.
Large scale nuclear war would at a minimum, destroy what we call or miscall, 'civilization'. Indeed, as few as five large nuclear weapons exploded in space could destroy the internet, power, all communications other than carrier pigeon or pony express, and make the global financial system, itself largely electronic, literally disappear, taking us back to the 18th century in milliseconds. The use of thousands of warheads, eg in a US-Russia or a US-China war, would kill most humans.
The looming prospect of a US-DPRK nuclear war, should it actually take place, would at least be a catastrophe that could kill tens of millions. It could also morph into a wider nuclear exchange that would of course be civilization-terminating.
There simply is no other issue anyplace on the planet, and anyplace on any rational persons political priority list, that could be more important than making the end of civilization and possible human extinction, less likely.
Yet even the more serious media treat this issue- simply the most serious issue there ever could be – as if it were a marginal matter that was important only to a few policy wonks. Yet the fact is that this is a life and death issue for every human being and for every Australian.
Every Australian Parliamentarian – and every policymaker worldwide – needs to wake up to what is truly important and treat the issue of reducing the risk of nuclear war, accidental or otherwise, as the existential threat to us all that it truly is.
For Australia that means:
--Reversing current opposition to the nuclear 'Ban Treaty' (TPNW) and instead, signing, ratifying, and encouraging others especially US allies, to do likewise.
--Lobbying the US, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, the DPRK, and Russia, to do likewise. Not taking 'NO' for an answer.
--Working vigorously to promote measures to reduce immediate, short-term, nuclear risk.
--Lobbying vigorously the US, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the DPRK to take immediate measures to reduce the risk of nuclear conflict
--Doing whatever it takes to reduce the risk of an immediate US-DPRK nuclear conflict.
--Supporting and participating in, and urging others to support and participate in, the upcoming High Level Conference on nuclear disarmament to be held in new York this coming May.
Nuclear weapons, nuclear risks, and nuclear disarmament, must be lifted to the very top of the political agenda, both in Australia and elsewhere. Other matters are simply irrelevant in comparison to the priority of human survival, which is what is ultimately at stake. Our (and other countries) political system's failure – indeed our very lack of interest – in doing so places at risk everything we hold dear and everyone we know including ourselves.
John Hallam
UN Nuclear Disarmament Campaigner
People for Nuclear Disarmament
Human Survival Project
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