By Rachel Kent
Former PEP Executive Director
Growing up, I gave no thought to nuclear weapons. In history class, we were told that the use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War II, saving thousands–if not millions–of lives. We were shown videos of Cold War era schoolchildren practicing what they should do in the event of a nuclear attack, but were assured that the danger of nuclear weapons being used again was well past us, and that we need not worry.
So I didn’t worry or think about nuclear weapons or ever imagine that I would end up working to eliminate nuclear weapons.
That all changed in August 2010 when I spent two weeks participating in a Peace Ambassador Cultural Exchange Program. This program was run by the World Friendship Center, which is located in Hiroshima. Founded in 1965, it was designed to be a space where people could come together, reflect and work towards peace. Every two years, the World Friendship Center would sponsor four Americans to travel to Japan to be Peace Ambassadors. As such, we experienced the culture of Japan and also learned about the atomic bombings and the effects on the cities and people who suffered their devastation.
I was honestly shocked to discover how little I knew about nuclear weapons and just what the U.S. had done to the residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by using these weapons.
We visited the Peace Memorial Museums in both cities, toured the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (which is seeing patients who are still suffering from radiation disease today), spoke with hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombs) and went to the Peace Memorial Ceremonies on August 6 and 9.
The ceremonies were incredibly powerful. Each featured a moment of silence at the time when the bombs were dropped. Each featured a release of doves as a symbol for peace. Each featured overwhelming grief and sadness as survivors remembered all those who had been lost. Each featured a tinge of regret at what might have been. But each also featured tremendous pride over how the cities recovered. Three days after being hit by the first atomic bomb, Hiroshima’s streetcars were running again. And today, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are world leaders in the call for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
2010 was also a special year to attend the ceremonies. It was an exciting time for the disarmament movement. For the first time ever, the United States sent an ambassador to attend the ceremonies. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was also in attendance for the first time. And a year prior, President Obama had stood in Prague and declared his commitment to seeking a world free of nuclear weapons. The people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so hopeful that the world would finally come together to abolish nuclear weapons from our world.
And here are some reasons why they feel so strongly about this cause:
A majority of people immediately killed by the atomic bombs were children. At that point in the war, the need for adult bodies on the frontlines was so extreme, that children were often conscripted into helping with the war effort. As a result, thousands of children were out and about during the mornings of August 6 and 9. It is estimated that at least 30,000 children died.
Hiroshima, which was a major industrial point, had 90% of its buildings completely demolished within a matter of minutes. 140,000 people died. Nagasaki, which has the virtue of being in a valley, lost at least 70,000 people. And those numbers don’t include all those who suffered and eventually died from radiation sickness, various cancers, etc.
In the evening of August 6, there is a lantern ceremony held on the Motoyasu River. Attendees write messages of peace on lanterns, light them and then set them on the River. There are two main reasons for this evening ceremony: the first is to send off the spirits of those who died; the second is to remember and honor all those who died in the Motoyasu River. After the atomic bomb was dropped, temperatures reached up to at least 7,200 degrees. People were desperate to escape the heat, so they jumped into the water. What they didn’t know, however, was that it was so hot; the Motoyasu River was literally boiling.
It is impossible to estimate the number of people killed, as many were burned to ashes within seconds of the bombs being dropped.
The U.S., curious to see exactly how these weapons would work, intentionally chose targets with large populations. And the U.S. officials intentionally dropped the bombs in the mornings when, they reasoned, the largest number of people would be outside walking.
These stories should be good enough reasons to eliminate nuclear weapons, which are indiscriminate killing machines. They destroy military bases, civilian populations, hospitals, entire cities. There is no scenario imaginable in which the use of nuclear weapons would be justified. In a nutshell, they are immoral.
Not only are nuclear weapons immoral, they are expensive. And their cost, for those who are fiscally-minded, is yet another reason why they need to be eliminated.
The United States is set to spend $1 trillion over the next 30 years on the maintenance and modernization of the nuclear arsenal.
One example of the exorbitant costs of nuclear weapons is the B-61 bomb, which is the most expensive nuclear weapon ever made. A guided bomb, it has a yield of anywhere from 300-50,000 tons of TNT. When the planned 400 B-61 bombs are completed in 2020, these will have cost U.S. taxpayers at least $11 billion.
There’s also the Ohio-class replacement program, which is a plan to modernize the U.S. nuclear submarines. The current fleet is set to start to be retired in 2029. The Department of Defense wants to maintain a sea-based nuclear leg and is therefore working to replace the current Ohio-class fleet. Each new submarine, set to be seaworthy in 2030 or 2031, is going to cost anywhere from $4-8 billion. Per submarine.
And these are just some examples of the modernization programs. There is also the cost of maintaining the existing fleet, which amounts to about $20 billion a year.
The scary part: these cost estimates are likely to only go up over the next few decades.
Remember when I told you that, as a child, I was taught not to worry about nuclear weapons being used?
Did you know that there are still around 16,000 nuclear weapons in the world?
And did you know that the U.S. and Russia each have hundreds of warheads on high-level alert at all times?
Which means either country could launch a nuclear weapon within ten minutes.
And China, which has an estimated 250 nuclear weapons, is considering putting some of its arsenal on high-level alert as well.
There have been several documented incidents of miscommunication that could have ended in a nuclear weapon accidentally being used. These high-level alert weapons only increase the chances of an accidental use occurring.
The world is an ever-changing and ever-evolving place. There are valid security concerns and threats of which our government must be concerned. The government does play a role in providing for the safety and security of its citizens.
However, nuclear weapons do not provide the safety and security we need. They make the world more dangerous, as their continued existence makes nuclear war a very real and scary possibility.
Nuclear weapons should just not exist. They are inhumane and indiscriminate and immoral. They are expensive and put many of the nation’s best minds to creating killing machines rather than working to cure cancer or to make our economy more sustainable.
Abolishing nuclear weapons will take a long time. It will not be an easy path to walk and there are bound to be setbacks in the struggle. But it is definitely a fight worth fighting.
I hope we all one day can see a world free of nuclear weapons.
This article was originally published in the 2016 edition of the Peace Economy News. For your free copy, please email the Peace Economy Project at peaceeconomyproject (at) gmail (dot) com.
