What in your opinion are the largest bottlenecks/barriers to achieving reduction of nuclear risk today? Would more advocacy groups be useful, or greater focus on popular social movements? Is further research needed, or is it simply a case of translating common knowledge into political will to take action (& for example reduce stockpiles or end first use posture)?
To cut to the essence of my question—what should individuals focus their efforts on today to have the greatest impact in terms of reducing nuclear threat?
We have to pursue multiple strategies for reducing nuclear risks – no one strategy alone is sufficient. Because governments possess nuclear weapons and have the resources necessary for implementing risk reduction measures at the scale that’s needed, it’s imperative to continue to leverage policy change by governments as a core focus of nuclear risk reduction efforts. This includes generating creative ideas for policy solutions that governments could adopt. But a strategy that focuses only on persuading government leaders to adopt policy changes has proven to be insufficient on its own. The adoption of nuclear risk reduction measures has recently been outpaced by growing risks, and policy makers’ attention to nuclear issues has been declining as the awareness and attention of global publics has also declined.
So we must also aim to drive a strategy of culture change by working to raise awareness of nuclear risks among broader segments of the public. We have work to do to communicate more effectively about the risks of nuclear weapons to global publics. The more awareness we can create, the more likely it is that governments will feel they have the political support (the Overton window) for reducing the threat of nuclear weapons.
Individuals can educate themselves on the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. There are many places to learn about nuclear risks and nuclear policy (including on NTI’s website!). A few specific reading suggestions include:
These could be discussed in book groups or informal dinners with friends and neighbors. Individuals can then make their views known by communicating to political leaders their concerns about the danger of nuclear weapons and the need for governments to do more to reduce them. Even small actions, such as hosting a book group or dinner party and discussing these issues can go a long way to raise awareness.
What in your opinion are the largest bottlenecks/barriers to achieving reduction of nuclear risk today? Would more advocacy groups be useful, or greater focus on popular social movements? Is further research needed, or is it simply a case of translating common knowledge into political will to take action (& for example reduce stockpiles or end first use posture)?
To cut to the essence of my question—what should individuals focus their efforts on today to have the greatest impact in terms of reducing nuclear threat?
We have to pursue multiple strategies for reducing nuclear risks – no one strategy alone is sufficient. Because governments possess nuclear weapons and have the resources necessary for implementing risk reduction measures at the scale that’s needed, it’s imperative to continue to leverage policy change by governments as a core focus of nuclear risk reduction efforts. This includes generating creative ideas for policy solutions that governments could adopt. But a strategy that focuses only on persuading government leaders to adopt policy changes has proven to be insufficient on its own. The adoption of nuclear risk reduction measures has recently been outpaced by growing risks, and policy makers’ attention to nuclear issues has been declining as the awareness and attention of global publics has also declined.
So we must also aim to drive a strategy of culture change by working to raise awareness of nuclear risks among broader segments of the public. We have work to do to communicate more effectively about the risks of nuclear weapons to global publics. The more awareness we can create, the more likely it is that governments will feel they have the political support (the Overton window) for reducing the threat of nuclear weapons.
Individuals can educate themselves on the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. There are many places to learn about nuclear risks and nuclear policy (including on NTI’s website!). A few specific reading suggestions include:
My Journey at the Nuclear Brink by former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry, and
Command and Control by Eric Schlosser.
These could be discussed in book groups or informal dinners with friends and neighbors. Individuals can then make their views known by communicating to political leaders their concerns about the danger of nuclear weapons and the need for governments to do more to reduce them. Even small actions, such as hosting a book group or dinner party and discussing these issues can go a long way to raise awareness.