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global zero
Global Zero Says G7 Statement Falls Short
‘The world deserves more than thoughts and prayers for disarmament’
May 19, 2023
Today, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) issued a joint statement on a vision for nuclear disarmament. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons, condemned Russia’s nuclear threats, and acknowledged the need to reduce strategic risks. Ahead of the statement’s release, heads of government met with survivors of atomic bombings of Japan (hibakusha), visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and laid wreaths at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
In response to the statement, Derek Johnson, Managing Partner of the Global Zero movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons, issued the following:
“While the G7 statement embraces the goal of global zero and recites a familiar list of worthwhile ambitions, none acknowledge the fierce urgency of now. The Doomsday Clock is 90 seconds to midnight and the risks of nuclear conflict have never been higher. If we are to avert this nightmare scenario, it will take more than calls for banning explosive tests or halting new fissile material production.
“This is long on vision but short on strategy; Hiroshima deserves to be more than a symbolic setting, and the world deserves more than thoughts and prayers for disarmament. As leaders return from the Summit, they must bring home the lessons of the hibakusha and take meaningful steps to ensure nuclear weapons are never used again. That means reversing course on expansive nuclear modernization plans, rejecting escalatory rhetoric and activities that move nuclear threats closer to conflict, and focusing high-level political actors and energy on arms control and disarmament. We cannot be satisfied with anything less.”
Global Zero Condemns Russia's Suspension of Nuclear Treaty
"This way lies madness": Putin's decision moves the world "one step closer to nuclear anarchy"
Feb 21, 2023
Today, President Vladimir Putin suspended Russian implementation of New START, the remaining nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States. Since 2010, New START has limited U.S.-Russian strategic arsenals to 1,550 deployed weapons each. The Treaty has provided both governments with critical insight into each other's arsenal, preventing dangerous misunderstandings and planning based on worst-case scenarios.
In reaction to the announcement, Derek Johnson, Managing Partner of the Global Zero movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons, issued the following:
"This way lies madness. Putin's decision to suspend New START heightens the risk of escalation and leaves the world's two largest nuclear arsenals without restraints for the first time in over 50 years. The international community must move quickly to condemn this move and put pressure on Russia to reverse course and ensure full implementation of New START. No government can afford to remain silent.
"Putin has moved the world one step closer to nuclear anarchy, but we can influence what comes next. The United States and NATO should do all they can to reduce the danger of nuclear escalation, and remain both calm and coordinated in their collective response to Putin's reckless announcement. There is no need for the United States to adjust its nuclear posture in response to this political announcement, and any move to do so only plays into Putin's hands, who wants to stoke the fear of nuclear escalation."
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'Words are Cheap and Time Is Short' as Doomsday Clock Stays at 100 Seconds to Midnight
Moments ago, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced its iconic Doomsday Clock will hold at 100 seconds to midnight. The Clock, which marks how close the world is to destruction by the human-made threats of nuclear weapons and climate change, remains the closest it has ever been to midnight.
In response to the Bulletin's announcement, Derek Johnson, CEO of Global Zero, the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons, issued the following statement:
Jan 20, 2022
Moments ago, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced its iconic Doomsday Clock will hold at 100 seconds to midnight. The Clock, which marks how close the world is to destruction by the human-made threats of nuclear weapons and climate change, remains the closest it has ever been to midnight.
In response to the Bulletin's announcement, Derek Johnson, CEO of Global Zero, the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons, issued the following statement:
"Today's announcement that the Doomsday Clock is holding steady makes clear that words alone are not enough to improve humanity's prospects for survival -- and urgent action is needed to reverse the twin existential threats of nuclear conflict and climate catastrophe.
"Two years after the historic decision to move the Clock the closest it's ever been to midnight, nuclear-armed governments continue to run unacceptable risks even while speaking to the importance of restraint.
"Words are cheap and time is short. The recent statement from five nuclear weapons states -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- that 'a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought' stands in stark contrast to growing tensions in Eastern Europe and the South China Sea, outsized investments in expanding nuclear arsenals and capabilities, and a blossoming nuclear arms race. Worse, as Russia and the United States conduct daily exercises to practice fighting and 'winning' such a war, the statement is disingenuous and adds to the possible risk of accidental escalation and nuclear conflict. Governments serious about making progress to reduce the risk of nuclear use need to follow up lofty sentiments with concrete action.
"The election of President Joe Biden offered an opportunity for the United States to reestablish a leading role in nuclear arms control and disarmament -- one that recognized the need to work together with its adversaries to ensure crises don't spiral to nuclear use. While some important steps were taken, including the extension of the New START agreement, little else has changed -- and nuclear war-fighting planning and expansive modernization continue unabated. It is yet to be seen whether Biden's nuclear policy guidance, in the form of the forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review, will follow his stated goal to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security. Much like the recent P-5 statement, words are cheap and time is short.
"The Bulletin's reminder of the threats humans pose to ourselves is a clarion call for cooperation on real steps to reduce the risk posed by nuclear weapons. As we sit at just 100 seconds to midnight, world leaders need to prioritize steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in global and national security, and prevent the risk that they will be used by accident, miscalculation, or unintended escalation. Russian-U.S. strategic talks should address verifiable limits on all nuclear weapons in addition to non-nuclear steps to increase stability in the relationship. In parallel, Russia and the U.S. must look for openings to bring in other nuclear-armed nations, including discussions on No First Use agreements that would reduce nuclear risk, and move states away from planning to fight and 'win' a nuclear war. From there, we could continue to turn back the Clock through more ambitious agreements that set the course to the total, verified elimination of all nuclear weapons everywhere."
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Global Zero Applauds Offer to Extend New START, Calls for Rapid Relaunch of Negotiations
President Joe Biden has offered President Vladimir Putin a full five-year extension of the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Russia and the United States. The New START treaty, which limits both countries to no more than 1,550 strategic offensively deployed nuclear weapons each, will expire February 5, 2021 without mutual agreement to extend. Putin has previously said he favors a clean, unconditional extension of the treaty and Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on January 20 calling for an unconditional extension for 5 years.
Jan 20, 2021
President Joe Biden has offered President Vladimir Putin a full five-year extension of the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between Russia and the United States. The New START treaty, which limits both countries to no more than 1,550 strategic offensively deployed nuclear weapons each, will expire February 5, 2021 without mutual agreement to extend. Putin has previously said he favors a clean, unconditional extension of the treaty and Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on January 20 calling for an unconditional extension for 5 years. The extension does not require approval by the U.S. Senate.
In response, Derek Johnson, chief executive officer of the international Global Zero movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons, issued the following statement:
"Extending New START is a hugely consequential first move by the Biden administration. The treaty is an essential guardrail against nuclear arms-racing that imposes equal limits on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear weapons. Both countries are in full compliance with the agreement, and its intrusive verification provisions ensure neither side can cheat without detection.
"The Global Zero movement urges Moscow to immediately accept this clean, unconditional offer of extension. New START has a proven record of success and serves the national security interests of both countries -- and the world. Allowing the agreement to expire risks unleashing a full-blown nuclear arms race that exposes the whole world to an intolerable level of risk.
"Following extension of the treaty, the U.S. and Russian governments must reboot negotiations to address the unacceptably high risks of nuclear conflict. The approach should include not only lower limits on all categories of nuclear weapons, but also controls on other systems that undermine stability and predictability, such as missile defenses, dual-capable missiles, and advanced conventional-strike weapons. The U.S. and Russia must also work quickly to bring China, France, and the United Kingdom into a process that caps and eventually reduces and eliminates global nuclear stockpiles.
"After four years of efforts to kill arms control and chase the false security of nuclear dominance, the U.S. is coming back to its senses. President Biden's offer signals a welcome return to serious diplomacy that provides a path to a safer and more secure future for all. Unless you're a defense contractor, this is good news for everyone.
"Extending New START is the minimum that can be done to begin to meet U.S. and Russian obligations under international law to pursue nuclear disarmament, and it's exactly the right place for the Biden administration to start."
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