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dalai lama
Dalai Lama, Other Nobel Winners Demand Explicit Vow Not to Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine
"It is either the end of nuclear weapons, or the end of us," the peace prize winners say in an open letter.
Mar 26, 2022
The Dalai Lama is among 16 Nobel Peace Prize laureates who jointly issued an open letter Saturday calling for the immediate end of the attack on Ukraine and an explicit vow from both Russia and NATO forces that nuclear weapons of any kind will not be used as part of this conflict or any other.
"The invasion of Ukraine has created a humanitarian disaster for its people. The entire world is facing the greatest threat in history: a large-scale nuclear war, capable of destroying our civilization and causing vast ecological damage across the Earth."
"We reject war and nuclear weapons," the letter declares. "We call on all our fellow citizens of the world to join us in protecting our planet, home for all of us, from those who threaten to destroy it."
Backed by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), which won the Nobel in 1985, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), awarded the prize for similar advocacy in 2017, the letter was also signed by ten other individual winners--including Jody Williams, Kailash Satyarthi, and Oscar Arias Sanchez--as well as the International Peace Bureau, which won the award in 1910, the American Friends Service Committee (1947), and the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs (1995).
"The invasion of Ukraine has created a humanitarian disaster for its people," the letter continues. "The entire world is facing the greatest threat in history: a large-scale nuclear war, capable of destroying our civilization and causing vast ecological damage across the Earth."
The open letter calls for an immediate ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine. After over a month of fighting, thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to official figures, and millions of refugees have fled across the Ukraine border to neighboring countries while millions more have been displaced internally within the country.
\u201cI just added my name to the global call against war and nuclear weapons by the Dalai Lama, IPPNW and other Peace Prize Laureates. Sign now & RT, and they'll deliver our voices to key leaders from the Russian Federation and NATO. #NoWar https://t.co/8nqPcn15PH\u201d— Marcy Winograd (@Marcy Winograd) 1648298994
Concern over the possible use of nuclear weapons has been heightened throughout the conflict after Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 27 ordered his military to put its nuclear forces on "special alert"--a move that was immediately condemned as "unacceptable and reckless" by the anti-nuclear group Global Zero.
Since then there has been growing worry that Putin could resort to the use of so-called "tactical" nukes, lower-yield weapons that some have tried to justify as less dangerous or destructive than their larger counterparts. Such arguments, as Common Dreams reported earlier this week, have been roundly rejected.
Anyone suggesting use of even a "small" nuclear weapon, wrote Ploughshares Fund president Joe Circionne this week has "lost touch with the reality of nuclear war. Even the smallest conceivable nuclear blast would be many times more powerful than the largest conventional bomb."
In addition to an end of the war and a vocal promise that nuclear weapons would not be used during the conflict in Ukraine, the open letter issued Saturday by the Nobel laureates calls for all countries of the world "to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to ensure that we never again face a similar moment of nuclear danger."
The letter concludes, "It is either the end of nuclear weapons, or the end of us."
The full text of the letter and the list of lead signatories--which can be endorsed by anyone on the Avaaz page--follows:
We reject war and nuclear weapons. We call on all our fellow citizens of the world to join us in protecting our planet, home for all of us, from those who threaten to destroy it.
The invasion of Ukraine has created a humanitarian disaster for its people. The entire world is facing the greatest threat in history: a large-scale nuclear war, capable of destroying our civilization and causing vast ecological damage across the Earth.
We call for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of all Russian military forces from Ukraine, and for all possible efforts at dialogue to prevent this ultimate disaster.
We call on Russia and NATO to explicitly renounce any use of nuclear weapons in this conflict, and we call on all countries to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to ensure that we never again face a similar moment of nuclear danger.
The time to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons is now. It is the only way to guarantee that the inhabitants of the planet will be safe from this existential threat.
It is either the end of nuclear weapons, or the end of us.
We reject governance through imposition and threats, and we advocate for dialogue, coexistence and justice.
A world without nuclear weapons is necessary and possible, and together we will build it. It is urgent that we give peace a chance.
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Signatories list of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates:
His Holiness The Dalai Lama (1989)
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (1985)
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (2017)
Juan Manuel Santos (2016)
Kailash Satyarthi (2014)
Leymah Gbowee (2011)
Tawakkul Karman (2011)
Muhammad Yunus (2006)
David Trimble (1998)
Jody Williams (1997)
Jose Ramos-Horta (1996)
Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs (1995)
Oscar Arias Sanchez (1987)
Lech Walesa (1983)
American Friends Service Committee (1947)
International Peace Bureau (1910)
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Demanding 'Global Peace Dividend,' Nobel Laureates Call for 2% Cut in World's Military Spending
"We propose that half of the resources freed up by this agreement are allocated to a global fund, under U.N. supervision, to address humanity’s grave common problems: pandemics, climate change, and extreme poverty."
Dec 15, 2021
In a move they say will save $1 trillion over five years "to fight planetary emergencies" like "pandemics, climate change, and extreme poverty," a group of over 50 Nobel laureates this week published an open letter calling on countries to generate a "global peace dividend" by reducing their military spending by 2%.
"Humankind faces risks that can only be averted through cooperation. Let us cooperate, instead of fighting among ourselves."
"World military spending has doubled since 2000. It is approaching $2 trillion U.S. dollars per year, and is increasing in all regions of the world," the letter--which is being coordinated by physicists Carlo Rovelli and Matteo Smerlak--states.
"Individual governments are under pressure to increase military spending because others do so," the signers continue. "The feedback mechanism sustains a spiraling arms race--a colossal waste of resources that could be used far more wisely."
The letter's signatories include mostly Nobel science and medicine laureates, as well as a handful of winners in the peace, economics, and literature categories. The heads of several national academies also signed, and Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner the Dalai Lama expressed his "appreciation and support" for the initiative.
\u201chttps://t.co/mqiV2q7W4h It is out!! 50 Nobels, including the Dalai Lama, support the "Simple Proposal to humankind": resources to address the planetary urgencies by a negotiated global decrease of military spending. Please sign in support!! #GlobalPeaceDividend @GlobalPeaceDivd\u201d— carlo rovelli (@carlo rovelli) 1639437309
"Past arms races have often had the same outcome: deadly and destructive conflicts," the signers note. "We have a simple proposal for humankind: The governments of all U.N. member-states should negotiate a joint reduction of their military expenditure by 2% every year for five years."
"We propose that half of the resources freed up by this agreement are allocated to a global fund, under U.N. supervision, to address humanity's grave common problems: pandemics, climate change, and extreme poverty."
"The other half remains at the disposal of individual governments," the signers explain. "All countries will therefore have significant new resources. Some of these can be used to redirect the strong research capacities of military industries towards urgently needed peaceful applications."
\u201cMore than 50 Nobel laureates have signed an appeal for a "Global Peace Dividend", proposing that states decide a 2% reduction of their military spending and to use these funds to fight against climate change, pandemics, and extreme poverty. Read, co-sign:\nhttps://t.co/xjYjCEVOyN\u201d— Wolfgang Lucht (@Wolfgang Lucht) 1639517135
"History shows that agreements to limit the proliferation of weapons are achievable: thanks to the SALT and START [Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and Strategic Arms Reduction] treaties, the United States and the Soviet Union have reduced their nuclear arsenals by 90% since the 1980s," the letter states--its only reference to specific countries.
With a military budget of $778 billion, the United States spends more annually on its armed forces than the next 11 nations combined, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The U.S. is followed by China ($252 billion), India ($72.9 billion), Russia ($61.7 billion), and the United Kingdom ($59.2 billion)--all of which increased their military spending in 2020.
\u201cU.S. military: "Disposing toxic chemicals is too expensive, so we have to release it into Okinawa's water."\n\nU.S. military budget: $778 billion\u201d— Rob Kajiwara \uff5c\u6bd4\u5609\u5b5d\u660c\uff5c \u9b4f\u5b5d\u660c \ud83c\udf42 (@Rob Kajiwara \uff5c\u6bd4\u5609\u5b5d\u660c\uff5c \u9b4f\u5b5d\u660c \ud83c\udf42) 1631068114
"Such negotiations can succeed because they are rational: each actor benefits from its adversaries' armaments reduction, and so does humanity as a whole," the letter's signatories assert. "Humankind faces risks that can only be averted through cooperation. Let us cooperate, instead of fighting among ourselves."
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101 Nobel Laureates Urge World Leaders to 'Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground'
"Fossil fuels are the greatest contributor to climate change. Allowing the continued expansion of this industry is unconscionable."
Apr 21, 2021
On the eve of Earth Day and the start of U.S. President Joe Biden's Leaders Summit on Climate, a group of 101 Nobel laureates published a letter urging world leaders and governments to "keep fossil fuels in the ground" as a critical first step toward addressing the climate emergency.
"Urgent action is needed to end the expansions of fossil fuel production, phase out current production, and invest in renewable energy."
--Nobel laureates' letter
The letter--which was signed by Nobel peace, literature, medicine, physics, chemistry, and economic sciences laureates--notes that the climate emergency "is threatening hundreds of millions of lives, livelihoods across every continent, and is putting thousands of species at risk." It adds that "the burning of fossil fuels--coal, oil, and gas--is by far the major contributor" to the crisis.
Signers of the letter--who include Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, the Dalai Lama, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Jody Williams, and Muhammad Yunus--said that "urgent action is needed to end the expansions of fossil fuel production, phase out current production, and invest in renewable energy."
\u201cHis Holiness the @DalaiLama and 100 other Nobel Laureates have just delivered our open letter to world leaders at the #LeadersClimateSummit with these 3 demands:\n\n1\ufe0f\u20e3 No new coal, oil & gas\n2\ufe0f\u20e3 Phase out existing production\n3\ufe0f\u20e3 Support a global #JustTransition to clean energy\u201d— Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative (@Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative) 1618987836
The letter continues:
The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for almost 80% of carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution. In addition to being the leading source of emissions, there are local pollution, environmental, and health costs associated with extracting, refining, transporting, and burning fossil fuels.
These costs are often paid by Indigenous peoples and marginalized communities. Egregious industry practices have led to human rights violations and a fossil fuel system that has left billions of people across the globe without sufficient energy to lead lives of dignity.
For both people and the planet, continued support must be given to tackling climate change through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris agreement. Failure to meet the Paris agreement's temperature limit of 1.5degC risks pushing the world towards catastrophic global warming. Yet, the Paris agreement has no mention of oil, gas, or coal.
Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry continues to plan new projects. Banks continue to fund new projects. According to the most recent United Nations Environment Program report, 120% more coal, oil, and gas will be produced by 2030 than is consistent with limiting warming to 1.5degC. Efforts to meet the Paris agreement and to reduce demand for fossil fuels will be undermined if supply continues to grow.
The signatories urge world leaders to do the following "in a spirit of international cooperation":
- End new expansion of oil, gas, and coal production in line with the best available science as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and United Nations Environment Program;
- Phase out existing production of oil, gas, and coal in a manner that is fair and equitable, taking into account the responsibilities of countries for climate change and their respective dependency on fossil fuels, and capacity to transition; and
- Invest in a transformational plan to ensure 100% access to renewable energy globally, support dependent economies to diversify away from fossil fuels, and enable people and communities across the globe to flourish through a global just transition.
"Fossil fuels are the greatest contributor to climate change," the letter concludes. "Allowing the continued expansion of this industry is unconscionable. The fossil fuel system is global and requires a global solution--a solution the Leaders Climate Summit must work towards. And the first step is to keep fossil fuels in the ground."
The Nobel laureates' letter comes two days after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that humanity stands "on the verge of the abyss" as the climate crisis pushes the world "dangerously close" to hitting the 1.5degC target limit of warming.
\u201cState of the Global Climate in 2020:\nOne of the three warmest years on record\n2015-2020 were six warmest years on record\nEvery decade since the 1980s has been the warmest on record\nBut temperatures are only one aspect of #climatechange \n\u27a1\ufe0fhttps://t.co/ogVsnYfPZn\n#EarthDay\u201d— World Meteorological Organization (@World Meteorological Organization) 1618847451
Guterres said that the world is "way off track" of the goal of reducing by 2030 global greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2010 levels and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, which scientists say is necessary to avert the worst impacts of the climate emergency.
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