<<< That testing by the United States and other nuclear powers could once again resume chills me to the core. As a civilization, we’re going in the wrong direction – undoing decades of progress since the end of the Cold War. >>>
The impact of nuclear testing on communities has been ruinous: full scale destruction of communities, families displaced, generation-spanning illnesses and more. The enormity of this testing and its devastating legacy is skillfully depicted by W.J. Hennigan in his New York Times piece, “The Toll,” the latest in the Times’ exceptional series addressing nuclear threats, “At the Brink: Confronting the Risk of Nuclear War.”
Nuclear testing activated me as a teenager. I felt a sense of outrage as a high school student in Australia when France tested nuclear weapons in Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. I asked myself: how could France just do that, exposing human beings and the planet to radioactive fallout? Who gave France that right? Where was the justice?
Since those early days, I’ve spent my career working to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons. And in November 2023, I joined a delegation of civil society representatives on a visit to the Nevada National Security Test Site at the invitation of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). While the purpose of the visit was to signal transparency around the US nuclear weapons testing moratorium (a welcome initiative), I saw first-hand the devastating impacts of nuclear explosions.
It was at the site of the Sedan test, known somewhat ironically as Operation Plowshare, that my blood ran cold. I silently took in the depth and breadth of the crater in front of me. While the test investigated civilian infrastructure uses for nuclear weapons (i.e., quickly excavating large amounts of soil for harbors or canals), the site chillingly demonstrated the destructive power and radioactive fallout created by nuclear weapons. As I dutifully posed for a group photo, it felt strange to smile. So, I did not.
That testing by the United States and other nuclear powers could once again resume chills me to the core. As a civilization, we’re going in the wrong direction – undoing decades of progress since the end of the Cold War.
We at Ploughshares have invested in work that addresses the impacts of past testing and the perils for the future, including providing grants to:
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which built an entire issue of their publication to the issue of testing from the enduring legacy of past nuclear tests to the new tensions over suspected testing activities.
Jeffrey Lewis, whose work was quoted in CNN (September 2023) showing that Russia, the US, and China are each updating their test sites.
Union of Concerned Scientists, which penned a thought provoking article about the future of nuclear testing in America.
Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, which was heavily featured in a NY Times piece about the Trinity test. Its research shows how the test’s effects had been underestimated, and could help more downwinders press for federal compensation.
We’ve also dedicated several episodes of our own podcast, NukeTalk, to the issue of testing including interviews with:
Benetick Kabua Maddison (who is featured in the latest New York Times article,) talking about the Marshallese displacement due to nuclear testing.
Lilly Adams talking about the legacy of nuclear weapons and the Radiation Compensation Exposure Act (RECA).
Selina Leem discussing the Marshall Islands.
Mary Dickson talking about downwinders.
Tina Cordova exploring the legacy of the Trinity Test.
Our attention to the issue of testing has never been more critical. Hennigan’s most recent New York Times piece is a timely reminder of how catastrophic this testing has been on communities and the disaster that would result from renewed testing. We will continue to invest in work that unveils these dangers, shines a light on those most impacted, and connects it with the folly of the ominous arms race. With your help, we’ll ensure that light never dims.
To learn more about this issue, our own Director of Program, Dr. Sara Kutchesfahani, penned an article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that unpacks the finer points and to help us combat this very real threat.
Emma Belcher, PhD
President, Ploughshares
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NYT ARTICLE "Opinion: THE TOLL – Nuclear Weapons Testing Has an Unending Legacy"
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/20/opinion/nuclear-weapons-testing.html
