Media Release
2nd August 2019
Nuclear weapons pose the single biggest threat to the Earth’s environment. Even a small-scale war would quickly devastate the world’s climate and ecosystems, causing damage that would last for more than a decade.
Detonating between 50 and 100 bombs – just 0.03% of the world’s arsenal -would throw enough soot into the atmosphere to create climactic anomalies unprecedented in human history.
The effects would be much greater than global warming and anything that has happened in history with regards to volcanic eruptions.
Tens of millions of people would die; global temperatures would crash and most of the world would be unable to grow crops for more than five years after the conflict.
In addition, the ozone layer, which protects the surface of the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, would be depleted by 40% over many inhabited areas and up to 70% at the poles.
“We can’t risk nuclear war as nothing ruins the environment like war. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were reduced to rubble instantly by nuclear weapons,” Denis Doherty from the Hiroshima Day Committee said.
“It is a tragedy that the world still needs to understand the possibility of doomsday.
“We cannot sit by and do nothing with the United States building new nuclear weapons, threatening to use them in pre-emptive strikes and planning to put them into space.
“We will be speaking out tomorrow at the Hiroshima Day remembrance to play our part in saving the future.” Mr. Doherty said.
For more information contact:
Denis Doherty, Hiroshima Day Committee on 0418 290 663
Saturday 3 August
Archibald Fountain, Hyde Park
12 – rally followed by march to PM’s office
Speakers: Dr Keith Suter, Hector Ramage, David Shoebridge MLC