Back from the Brink will employ a strategy to help global citizens understand the enormity of worldwide climate disruption caused by a limited, regional nuclear war; the great and increasing danger that nuclear weapons will be used; and, the reality that nuclear weapons are the greatest threat to our health, safety, and security.
Back from the Brink will call on the United States to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by:
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money will employ a strategy to shift nuclear weapons budgets and investments to better purposes, such as economic development, ending poverty, protecting the climate, supporting renewable energy, creating jobs, and providing adequate healthcare, housing and education for all.
“A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. The only value in our two nations possessing nuclear weapons is to make sure they will never be used. But then would it not be better to do away with them entirely?”
– President Ronald Reagan
Since the height of the Cold War, the United States and Russia have dismantled more than 50,000 nuclear warheads, but 15,000 of these weapons still exist and they pose an intolerable risk to human survival.
95% of these weapons are in the hands of the United State and Russia; the rest are held by seven other countries: the United Kingdom, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea.
“All we have built, all we have worked for, would be destroyed in the first 24 hours.”
– President John F. Kennedy
Despite assurances that nuclear arsenals exist solely to guarantee they are never used, there have been many occasions when nuclear armed states have prepared to use these weapons, and war has been averted at the last minute.
Nuclear weapons do not possess some magical quality that prevents them from being used.
Our current nuclear policy is essentially the hope that our good luck lasts. Furthermore, the danger of nuclear war is growing as climate change puts increased stress on communities around the world increasing the likelihood of conflict.
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The use of even a tiny fraction of these weapons would cause worldwide climate disruption and global famine. As few as 100 Hiroshima sized bombs, small by modern standards, would put at least 5 million tons of soot into the upper atmosphere and cause climate disruption across the planet, cutting food production and putting 2 billion people at risk of starvation.
A large scale nuclear war would kill hundreds of millions of people directly and cause unimaginable environmental damage. It would also cause catastrophic climate disruption dropping temperatures across the planet to levels not seen since the last ice age. Under these conditions the vast majority of the human race would starve and it is possible we would become extinct as a species.
In the words of Robert McNamara, one of the most influential defense secretaries of the 20th century, “nuclear weapons serve no military purposes whatsoever.” “They are totally useless — except only to deter one’s opponent from using them. The devastation would be complete and victory a meaningless term,” he said.
The increasing tensions between nuclear powers has moved the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists this year to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 2 Minutes to Midnight. These risks are exacerbated by the corporations manufacturing nuclear weapons, who have a vested interest in keeping the nuclear weapons budgets high. Such budgets divert resources from other areas of need. Over $1 trillion is earmarked for nuclear weapons over the next ten years, most of it being spent by the United States (see below).
This money could instead cover all the following:
“The world is over-armed and peace is under-funded.”
– Ban Ki-moon
Programming, Coursework, Partnerships and Development will address the Sustainable Development Gaols, with measurable outcomes of achieving all of the 17 SDGs.
Challenges that threaten humanity require innovative responses and insights. The power of collaboration can ensure a prosperous future. Our experienced team has the character, courage and commitment to solving the nature of the challenges we face today, and how to respond to and contain these threats.
Gary Cella is Executive Director of Preventing Nuclear War Fund. Gary is a 30-year entrepreneur of the telecommunication, medical and financial industries. As an innovator, he has structured successful arrangements for both private and publicly traded companies since 1984. His first project was rising the venture capital to fund the public offering of stock of his startup while working with the highly regarded Allen and Company. After his company agreed to a buyout in 1989, he went on to work as adviser to General Instruments Inc as it was preparing itself to be sold. That sale completed in 1992 to Forstmann, Little and company Inc. Now with a strong desire to learn more about the venture capital and trading side of the investment business, and with the sponsorship of the former Dean Witter he studied for and received his series 7 and 63 license. He promptly went to work in the trading department focused on telecommunication and then medical stocks. After a successful five years, he left to trade for his own account and explore new opportunities in a more entrepreneurial environment. This flexibility allowed Gary to start two new companies, both in the medical field that traded on a public exchange before being acquired. It also allowed him the time and funds needed to involve himself in projects more altruistic. He has been on national radio, TV and other forms of media is it relates to business matters. He is both an author and Navy veteran having serviced 8 years in the reserves.
At the end of the day, at the end of our lives, we will ask ourselves whether we could have done more for the health and well-being of the planet, of humanity and all living things. Leverage your charitable giving to create systemic change with ICV’s Catalytic Philanthropy.
As a tax-exempt public charity as defined by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Sections 501(c)(3), ICV Group, Inc. is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions under IRC Section 170 and is qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under Section 2055, 2106 or 2522 (EIN: 82-2698363).
“We stand today, I believe, in greater danger of nuclear catastrophe than we faced during the Cold War.”
– William Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, 2017