International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) continues to unite and activate people across political divides to prevent nuclear war. The abolition of nuclear weapons remains our highest priority because the global threat posed by nuclear weapons is more acute, immediate, insidious, and entrenched than ever.
None of the gains organizations like IPPNW and many others have made over some 50 years of intense work to prevent nuclear war have changed the potential for human devastation of even a single nuclear explosion. Our understanding of this potential is rooted in the terrible experience of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the weapons used in 1945 were tiny compared to most of the approximately 30,000 weapons in today's arsenals.
A single modern weapon, exploded either intentionally or accidentally over a large city, is capable of slaughtering millions. If a larger number of weapons are exploded in warfare, the overall consequences will include not only short- and medium-term medical injuries but also severe environmental effects, disruption of transportation and delivery of food, fuel, and basic medical supplies, and possible famine and mass starvation on a global level.
None of the gains organizations like IPPNW and many others have made over some 50 years of intense work to prevent nuclear war have changed the potential for human devastation of even a single nuclear explosion. Our understanding of this potential is rooted in the terrible experience of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the weapons used in 1945 were tiny compared to most of the approximately 30,000 weapons in today's arsenals.
A single modern weapon, exploded either intentionally or accidentally over a large city, is capable of slaughtering millions. If a larger number of weapons are exploded in warfare, the overall consequences will include not only short- and medium-term medical injuries but also severe environmental effects, disruption of transportation and delivery of food, fuel, and basic medical supplies, and possible famine and mass starvation on a global level.