As governments and civil society meet in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), Basel Peace Office joins with our partner organizations to promote the Climate-Nuclear Disarmament Nexus.
The Climate-Nuclear Disarmament Nexus highlights the connections between the climate crisis and the threat from nuclear weapons, advances policy solutions to address both threats, and builds cooperation between legislators, experts, youth and civil society movements working on these two issues.
Youth leaders from climate change and nuclear disarmament movements discuss the Climate Nuclear Disarmament Nexus in a COP26 side event at Stirling Castle on Nov 1, organised by the International Forum for Understanding.
Connections between climate change and nuclear weapons/disarmament
The connections between climate change and nuclear weapons/disarmament include:
- The impacts of climate change emissions and the use of nuclear weapons are trans-border and transgenerational. They cannot be contained in either time nor space – impacting globally and far into the future.
- Neither issue can be resolved solely at national levels, but require international cooperation and the building of common security.
- Climate change stimulates conflicts that could spill over into nuclear conflict, while any use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict would create catastrophic climatic consequences, compounding the current impact of climate change emissions.
- The human and financial resources currently devoted to nuclear weapons are desperately required to instead be invested in assist carbon emission reduction and climate stabilisation.
Climate - Nuclear Disarmament Nexus program
Publications, events and actions
Since our establishment in 2012, Basel Peace Office has been active on the Climate - Nuclear Disarmament Nexus program in cooperation with our partners the World Future Council and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. This has included publications, events, appeals and other actions.
Publications include:
- The Climate-Nuclear Nexus: Exploring the linages between the climate and nuclear threats. Released in November 2015 in time for the Paris Climate Change Conference, and updated in April 2016 to reflect the outcomes of that conference as well as new information on climate change litigation.
- Disarmament, climate and sustainable development, Chapter 5 of Assuring our Common Future: A parliamentary guide on disarmament for sustainable development which was published in English and French in November 2020.
Disarmament, climate and sustainable development, Chapter 5 of Assuring our Common Future: a parliamentary handbook on disarmament for security and sustainable development.
Recent events
Recent events we have co-organised on the Climate-Nuclear Nexus include:
- Nuclear Weapons & Climate Change: An intergenerational dialogue on nuclear weapons and climate change - two existential threats to humanity, September 9, 2021;
- The United Nations and the Climate-Nuclear Disarmament Nexus: A special event during UN Disarmament Week, 2021 in preparation for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November 2021 and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in January 2022.
- Nuclear Climate Change: An Interactive Forum Based on the Sustainable Development Goals. Organised primaily by the International Forum for Understanding as a side event of Cop26 on November 1, 2021.
Climate - Nuclear Nexus appeals and campaigns
The Climate-Nuclear Nexus also includes appeals and campaigns such as:
- Move the Nuclear Weapons Money which focuses on cutting nuclear weapons budgets, ending investments in the nuclear weapons industry, and re-directing these budgets and investments to support renewable energy, climate stabilisation and sustainable development;
- Protect People and the Planet, an Appeal for a Nuclear Weapon Free World which calls for cutting nuclear weapons budgets and investments and redirecting these investments and budgets to support the United Nations, COVID-19 management and recovery, drastic reductions in carbon emissions to protect the climate, and financing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;
- International Court of Justice Climate Change campaign, which is working to take the issue of climate change to the ICJ inspired by the historic 1996 ICJ case on nuclear weapons.
Youth and the climate – nuclear disarmament nexus
Basel Peace Office works with Youth Fusion to engage youth in the climate – nuclear disarmament nexus. Program activities and events include:
- Peace, nuclear Abolition and Climate Engaged Youth (PACEY) Award, an annual award we initiated in 2020;
- Youth voices and inter-generational dialogue on climate, peace and disarmament project in 2020;
- African youth voices for the climate, peace and nuclear disarmament;
- Youth Actions for Climate, Nuclear Disarmament and Sustainable Development webinar in 2020
- Basel Intergenerational forum on peace, the climate, nuclear disarmament and the pandemic in January 2021
- Nuclear Weapons & Climate Change: An intergenerational hybrid (in-person and online) dialogue on September 9, 202. See also Legislators, experts, officials and youth discuss climate change and nuclear disarmament connections at special London event;
- The United Nations and the Climate-Nuclear Disarmament Nexus: A special event during UN Disarmament Week, 2021 in preparation for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November 2021 and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in January 2022.
Youth the Middle East, Europe, Africa and around the world participated in the Youth voices and inter-generational dialogue on climate, peace and disarmament project run by Basel Peace Office, PNND, World Future Council and Youth Fusion.
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and the climate
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money was established by PNND, World Future Council and a number of other partner organizations. It focuses on cutting nuclear weapons budgets, ending investments in the nuclear weapons industry, and re-directing these budgets and investments to support renewable energy, climate stabilisation and sustainable development.
The campaign has advanced legislative actions such as:
- Nuclear weapons divestment by four non-nuclear governments arising from action by PNND members (see Nuclear weapons divestment: Lichtenstein, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland in Assuring our Common Future: Disarmament, climate and sustainable development);
- Legislative measures in nuclear armed states to cut nuclear weapons budgets to support instead the climate. See, for example the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act introduced by PNND Member Eleanor Holmes Norton, and U.S. Senator Markey introduces Act to slash nuclear weapons spending).
The campaign has also organised a number of events on nuclear budgets and divestment, and on building cooperation with fossil fuel divestment campaigns. See, for example, Basel city hosts successful conference on Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and Webinar: Move the Nuclear Weapons (and fossil fuel) Money.
Count the Nuclear Weapons Money and the climate
During disarmament week 2019, peace, disarmament and climate campaigners undertook a political/artistic/social media action in New York counting out over $500 billion in mock notes, taking the notes from missiles and relocating them to the 17 sustainable development goals including climate action.
The counting action on October 25, outside the United Nations, focused specifically on moving the money to support the climate. See Nuke money counted at School Strike 4 Climate at the UN.
A companion counting outside the Ministry of Defence in London, also focused on shifting the money to protect the climate. See Peace volunteers in London count £5.2billion and move it from nuclear weapons to trees.
Students from School Strike 4 Climate lead Count the Nuclear Weapons Money outside the United Nations in New York