NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW
Dec 23, 2024
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons() has accomplished a lot of good work and good deeds this year, and this article rates the top 5 in reverse order and also provides an “Honorable Mention List”, all of which are extremely important to avoiding nuclear war, and, of course, recognizing that abolishing nuclear weapons is the key. But there are two keys and only one is being used.
So, let me point out that so long as nuclear power plants continue to exist and are now on the verge of flourishing in the future, there will always be nuclear weapons. It’s not just that they use the same fuel (enriched uranium), but also because nuclear reactors, even if locked in a stationary plant or facility environment, are also nuclear weapons — in some ways more tactfully dangerously overlooked than all grades of nuclear bombs.
It bothers me immensely that we rail against nuclear weapons of mass destruction, but we insanely praise nuclear power as if one is a doomsday issue and the other is our salvation. How stupid are we, anyway? “Ignorance is bliss . . .”, wrote Thomas Gray, in the 18th Century,, who apparently said it first: “Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise”.” Adding the 2nd half of the quotation is exactly what is happening in today’s world of “all things nuclear”, and getting rid of just one variety won’t save us from self-destruction. ~llaw
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December 23, 2024 Campaign News
Rising together against the nuclear threat: ICAN’s highlights for 2024
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In 2024, we saw a strong global pushback against the nuclear threat. While the danger of nuclear weapons use seemed to loom larger than ever, with mounting tensions, escalatory rhetoric, irresponsible policy changes and the conflicts in Russia and the Middle East driving up the risk, all around the world, ICAN campaigners spoke out and took bold, powerful action, demanding their governments do their part to get rid of nuclear weapons once and for all.
Here are some of the highlights from 2024:
#5 We now have half of the world on board with the treaty banning nuclear weapons
Indonesia, Sierra Leone and Solomon Islands became the latest states parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), in a clear signal of the global support for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, and the ban as a way to get there. São Tomé and Príncipe also ratified it at the beginning of the year.
#4 Launch of the Swiss Popular Initiative
“We demand that words are finally followed by action.”
When the Swiss Government decided to ignore the will of parliament and instead bow to the will of nuclear-armed states, we refused to take no for an answer. We helped to form an alliance of Swiss organisations to launch a federal popular initiative to put the power to join the treaty into the hands of the Swiss people. This is the first case where we are using direct democracy to fight back against closed-door decision-making.
#3 Now reaching over 100 cities each in Spain and Italy, the City Appeal is growing rapidly
Local governments have been playing a massive role in building up pressure in pro-nuclear weapons countries, with 123 new cities making the case this year, including capitals and iconic cities like Tirana, Rome and the Hague and the first two cities in India, and cities in Greece are joining rapidly. Special mention goes to Italy and Spain, in which each crossed the milestone of 100 cities on board the ICAN Cities Appeal!
#2 Pushing back against nuclear weapons spending with a powerful week of action
Every year, ICAN publishes the only report exposing the billions of dollars wasted on nuclear weapons, generating global headlines and sparking outrage. The news that the nine nuclear-armed states spent $91.4 billion in 2023 generated considerable coverage across the world including in top-tier outlets in the nuclear-armed states this year (ABC, NBC, Washington Post, Newsweek, NPR, BBC, The Guardian, The Times, Radio France, BFM TV and Le Figaro and more). Irish President Michael D Higgins responded to the report, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cited our figures when addressing the UN General Assembly, while Costa Rica, Jamaica, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka all referred to ICAN’s figures in national statements on nuclear weapons.
This year, in addition to releasing the report, ICAN called for a week of action against this unacceptable diversion of public resources. And campaigners from around the world delivered. From the US to Italy, from Japan to Switzerland, we saw rallies, signature drives, teach-ins, social media collaborations, Op-Eds, webinars, protests at banks, media campaigns and more to put pressure on governments and financial institutions to stop spending on nuclear weapons. Look back at the action here.
Honourable mentions
It has been such a busy year that it is impossible to list all the incredible things ICAN and our campaigners did in one article (do keep an eye out for our annual report early next year). But here are a few more great moments from this year that also warrant a shout-out:
- Three days for nuclear disarmament and nuclear justice in Kazakhstan, a country still dealing with the legacy of nuclear testing.
- Artists Against the Bomb exhibits at the Malta Biennale, in Berlin, and in Mexico’s iconic Anahuacalli museum
- A powerful new report describing how nuclear weapons are uniquely harmful to children, based on the experiences of children in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and those living near nuclear test sites
- Our Euros2024 fantasy football league!
- Our Tour de Canada and Roadshows in Belgium and Norway.
- A new statement by the Global Alliance for Banking on Values calling for the financial industry to stop profiting from weapons (including nuclear weapons)
- Shinechi’s Tricycle installed at the ICRC Museum in Geneva.
#1 Nobel Peace Prize for the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
October came with unexpected but very timely and welcome news: Nihon Hidankyo’s Nobel Peace Prize (!!!) “for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again” and the organisation’s key role in building up and maintaining the nuclear taboo.
Having worked alongside this Japanese grassroots movement of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and other hibakusha to push for the prohibition and total elimination of nuclear weapons, ICAN was thrilled by this exciting award and was proud to help support and celebrate them in Oslo during the Nobel Peace Week. The hibakusha’s testimonies and tireless campaigning have been crucial to progress on nuclear disarmament in general and the adoption and entry into force of the TPNW in particular. As we mark 80 years since the devastating U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we can build on the momentum from this past year and use this opportunity to build on the ban.
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(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:
- All Things Nuclear
- Nuclear Power
- Nuclear Power Emergencies
- Nuclear War
- Nuclear War Threats
- Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
- IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)
Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.
A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.
TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Monday, (12/23/2024)
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Russia aims to be global leader in nuclear power plant construction – Financial Times
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MSN
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Nuclear War
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Rising together against the nuclear threat: ICAN’s highlights for 2024
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
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U.S. Options for Iran Diplomacy in 2025 – Just Security
Just Security
After long denying any interest in nuclear weapons, Iranian officials are now publicly debating the security value of a nuclear deterrent and …
Gaza war to Ukraine nuclear fears: Conflicts that shaped 2024 geopolitics
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Wars in Europe and West Asia intensified in 2024, exposing the failures of global peace mechanisms, deepening crises, and straining alliances, …
Nuclear War Threats
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How Russia’s Tactical Nuclear Weapon Stockpile Compares to US’ – Newsweek
Newsweek
… threats of tactical nuclear use, large scale nuclear exercises and … nuclear arms races in the depths of the Cold War. Combined, Russia and …
Opinion: The pressing need for a world free of the threat of nuclear weapons
Hartford Courant
Opinion: The pressing need for a world free of the threat of nuclear weapons … A nuclear war could destroy our civilization.” On November 24 …
Nukes Nukes Nukes! Kremlin’s Hawk Medvedev Extensive 2024 Use of Nuclear Bluff – Kyiv Post
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JOIN US ON TELEGRAM. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. In fact, Medvedev pressed the nuclear threat button a total of 12 times ..