Spring Break
Nukes are an historic mistake
The creators of nuclear weapons wish they had never been invented. We should heed their laments.
By: Abid Mujtaba
Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: Opinion
He wrote the Szilard Petition, which proposed that Japanese observers be invited to view a nuclear weapons test, arguing that the mere sight of the devastation would be enough to force Japan to the negotiating table. This proposal was rejected by President Truman, and on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These attacks, the only to use nuclear weapons, resulted in 220,000 immediate deaths. On Aug. 15, 1945, the Japanese surrendered.
Unable to stand the role he had played in the development of these instruments of destruction, Szilard left the field of physics and started studying biology. He was joined by Einstein and the scientific community at large in protesting the use and existence of nuclear weapons.
As of 2008, it is estimated that there are 15,000 nuclear warheads of varying yields in existence, 10,000 of which are actively deployed. Of these, the U.S. possesses 5,500 - 4,000 of which are actively deployed. The U.S. alone has the capability of bringing about not one, but several nuclear winters, turning a significant portion of Earth's surface to glass in the process.
With the end of the Cold War, calling this overkill would be an understatement. Add the nuclear weapons in the hands of countries like India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan, each embroiled in various forms of regional instability, and we have a very convincing case for nuclear disarmament.
The U.S. and Russia need to be leaders on this issue. Progress has been made, considering the former Soviet high of 45,000 and former U.S. high of 32,000 nuclear warheads. However, there is still much to be done, especially since the reductions focused on out-of-date and inefficient warheads.
As a generation, we are growing up under the threat of nuclear winter. A testament to this is that a new technique for detecting faked paintings involves testing the paint for Strontium-90 and Cesium-137 isotopes that did not exist in nature before 1945. We have added known carcinogens to the air we breathe by atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons.
In a world racked by hurricanes, rocketing oil prices, political turmoil, terrorism, regime changes, hunger, epidemics and instability, it seems we have found a means of ignoring the Sword of Damocles.
Unable to stand the role he had played in the development of these instruments of destruction, Szilard left the field of physics and started studying biology. He was joined by Einstein and the scientific community at large in protesting the use and existence of nuclear weapons.
As of 2008, it is estimated that there are 15,000 nuclear warheads of varying yields in existence, 10,000 of which are actively deployed. Of these, the U.S. possesses 5,500 - 4,000 of which are actively deployed. The U.S. alone has the capability of bringing about not one, but several nuclear winters, turning a significant portion of Earth's surface to glass in the process.
With the end of the Cold War, calling this overkill would be an understatement. Add the nuclear weapons in the hands of countries like India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan, each embroiled in various forms of regional instability, and we have a very convincing case for nuclear disarmament.
The U.S. and Russia need to be leaders on this issue. Progress has been made, considering the former Soviet high of 45,000 and former U.S. high of 32,000 nuclear warheads. However, there is still much to be done, especially since the reductions focused on out-of-date and inefficient warheads.
As a generation, we are growing up under the threat of nuclear winter. A testament to this is that a new technique for detecting faked paintings involves testing the paint for Strontium-90 and Cesium-137 isotopes that did not exist in nature before 1945. We have added known carcinogens to the air we breathe by atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons.
In a world racked by hurricanes, rocketing oil prices, political turmoil, terrorism, regime changes, hunger, epidemics and instability, it seems we have found a means of ignoring the Sword of Damocles.
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