We celebrated the entry-into-force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on January 22, 2021, but just six days later, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced it is keeping the hands of its Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight, the closest we’ve ever been to global oblivion, stating: “By our estimation, the potential for the world to stumble into nuclear war—an ever-present danger over the last 75 years—increased in 2020. An extremely dangerous global failure to address existential threats—what we called “the new abnormal” in 2019—tightened its grip in the nuclear realm in the past year, increasing the likelihood of catastrophe.”
Today, an estimated 13,125 nuclear weapons, most an order of magnitude more powerful than the U.S. atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki—91% of them held by the United States (5,550) and Russia (6,370), continue to pose an intolerable threat to humanity, and the dangers of wars among nuclear-armed states are growing. The detonation of even a small number of these weapons could have catastrophic human and environmental consequences that could affect everyone on the planet.
Despite hopes for the new administration, President Biden’s 2022 budget request extends funding for all nuclear warhead and delivery system upgrades in the Trump budget as well as a massive investment in the nuclear weapons infrastructure, intended to project nuclear weapons research, development, production, and deployment well into the second half of this century.
August 6th and 9th will mark the 76th anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Groups across the country and around the world will be taking action to remember the victims and demand the global abolition of nuclear weapons. Find out what’s planned and how you can get involved! Here’s a partial list of resources to get you started.
Physicians for Responsibility calendar of Hiroshima-Nagasaki events. If you don’t see your event listed, please send information to kcaldwell@psr.org and rkhan@psr.org.
Nuclear Ban Treaty Days of Action Facebook Group
International Fast & Days of Action from Hiroshima Day to Nagasaki Day, August 6 – 9, 2021
International Peace Wave 2021, August 2 – 9
Hiroshima/ Nagasaki Week in Massachusetts, August 2 – 9, 2021 Events Calendar
From Hiroshima to Hope, August 6, Seattle, WA
Nuclear Weapons & Climate Change: Shine a Light, Stop the Hate, Lower the Heat, August 6 and August 9, hybrid live/online, Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab, CA
Remembering Hiroshima, Nagasaki…Abolish Nuclear Weapons! Banner & Picture Display…”Laying Down the Law” at Lockheed Martin, August 7, King of Prussia, PA
17th Annual Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance Day, August 7, Pacific Grove, CA
Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance, August 8, Kansas City, MO
A Call to Action, Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki From Testing to Trident to Treaty, August 7 – 9, Ground Zero Center for Nonviolence, WA
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony 2021 will be live streamed on You Tube Friday August 6 from 6:50 to 8:50 am JS); Thursday Aug. 5 from 5:50 – 7:50 pm EDT/Thurs. Aug. 5 from 2:50 – 4:50 pm PDT.
Wherever you are: Fold a paper crane and post a photo on social media during Peace Weekend, August 6 – 9. #CranesForOurFuture
