[The Elders Series] Nuclear Weapons: the Other Global Existential Threat

While the world grapples with COVID-19 and the climate emergency, nuclear war remains a real and present danger to the future of humanity. So why is nobody talking about it?

Throughout the Cold War, nuclear confrontation was a threat that overshadowed everyone’s lives and was reflected in popular culture and debate. Today, we are confronted with the dangerous prospect of a new nuclear arms race, yet it is barely spoken about. Despite big reductions since the end of the Cold War, around 13,000 nuclear warheads are still in existence. These have a combined destructive capability of close to 100,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs. Worryingly, a large proportion of the total–nearly 4,000–remain operationally deployed. The weapons are still there, but where is the political debate and public scrutiny?

In this episode, hosts Hazami Barmada and Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland, former UN High-Commissioner For Human Rights and Chair of The Elders) are joined by a leading global nuclear expert, Joe Cirincione, to unpack the looming threat of big-scale mass destruction posed by nuclear weapons and efforts needed to eliminate future nuclear threats.

We look at the state of nuclear arms around the world. Who has them, who wants them, and why? What are the social, economic and political consequences of inaction on curbing a nuclear threat? Are nuclear non-proliferation and elimination policies effective? How can we curb the nuclear threat we’re facing and what are our best hopes for ultimately achieving a world free of nuclear weapons?

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This special series of Finding Humanity is a production of Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media, in collaboration with The Elders.

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