Sir, – Reports of recent scientific studies confirm nuclear war would ravage the earth and its atmosphere, and kill billions of people.
The US military is resuming wholesale production of pit plutonium to manufacture a new array of nuclear warheads.
Though promoted as a deterrent against deadly conflicts, acquiring more weapons of mass destruction spurs escalation and imitation by other nuclear powers, and breeds new nuclear aspirations elsewhere, such as in North Korea and Iran.
A monstrous amount of energy diverted from civilian purposes and everyday needs goes into creating these “destroyers of worlds”. Their pivotal role in climate change has yet to be fully determined. Unfortunately, even nuclear power plants can fuel elements of bomb-making as well.
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About 30 non-nuclear states further legitimise nuclear weapons by accepting vicarious protection through alliances with nuclear powers.
Such decisions undermine national sovereignty by supporting imperial goals. This reliance also negates claims to uphold disarmament and international humanitarian standards.
There is no security in nuclear weapons. Even in peace-time, they pose extreme risks. Accidents, demanding storage conditions, misunderstandings, and mental instability have already contributed to several near-misses.
Perpetuating a cultural belief in global destruction as salvation is folly, and a dereliction of governance, when most citizens worldwide oppose nuclear armament and war, and prefer peace, and when numerous alternative global security systems are available.
The 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty prohibits manufacture and dissemination of nuclear weapons by non-nuclear countries, and encourages disarmament and regulation. A total of 191 signatory countries are meeting this month to reaffirm commitments at the Tenth Review Conference.
Separately, in 2021, signed by 121 countries, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force. Its implementation is backed by organisations including the multi-NGO International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN); Unfold Zero, and broader-based peace groups like WILPF, Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, and many more which are open to new members. World Beyond War, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and others have designed viable non-nuclear global security systems.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council should honour existing agreements, recognise the International Criminal Court of the Hague, accept equal geopolitical accountability under the rule of law, and put world peace before their own interests if they cared anything about universal rights and responsible statecraft.
Meanwhile Ireland should stay nuclear-free and neutral. The world will thank us for it. – Yours, etc,
CAROLINE HURLEY,
Cloughjordan,
Co Tipperary.