Despite the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki some eighty years ago, nuclear weapons remain an existential threat to humanity. They threaten global health, food production, the environment and climate. Their use would result in unimaginable suffering for current and future generations.
Terrorists are determined to obtain nuclear materials that can be used for a weapon or a radiation-spewing “dirty bomb.” The theft of these materials is not just a hypothetical worry; it’s a reality. In fact, since the start of the Obama administration, there have been 18 cases involving the theft of weapons-usable plutonium or highly enriched uranium (HEU).
The world’s most important work in reducing this threat must continue. It involves strengthening nuclear security—by accelerating removals of HEU from vulnerable sites and upgrading security at those that will remain, as well as improving controls over radiological materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. It also involves enhancing capabilities to interdict and prosecute nuclear smuggling, and to advance nuclear forensics and attribution technologies.
Many Carnegie Corporation grantees are advancing all of these efforts, including fostering a new culture of accountability for nations to protect their people and the environment from this dangerous threat. Ultimately, the only way to ensure nuclear threats don’t turn into an existential catastrophe is to eliminate these weapons altogether. However, this cannot be done alone; it requires a global effort that encompasses all countries and all organizations—governments, businesses, academia and civil society. It requires the leadership of the United States, which has a responsibility to lead and must take action now.