Q. Why should I care about nuclear weapons?

A. If just a portion of the existing nuclear weapons were used, millions of lives would be lost, and many millions more would suffer grave and lasting injuries and illnesses. Damage from the use of these weapons would disrupt whole societies and would make large areas of Earth uninhabitable.

Q. But what if nuclear weapons are kept in reserve and not used, as they have been for many years?

A. There is no guarantee that these powerful weapons won't be used. Their very existence presents an enormous temptation for leaders seeking to destroy enemies. The building and maintaining of nuclear weapons creates nuclear waste byproducts. There is no solution to the problem of how to dispose of these deadly environmental hazards. The enormous costs of building and maintaining nuclear weapons could be better used to improve living conditions for millions of people. Finally, even while they are kept in reserve, people worldwide suffer great anxiety from knowing that the use of nuclear weapons could end the future of humans on Earth.

Q. Why is the situation of nuclear weapons so urgent today?

A. Several realities are behind this urgency:

• The US Administration is now engaged in preemptive military strikes, and has named countries against which the US might initiate the first use of nuclear weapons. This posture increases the threat of nuclear terrorism as those and other countries seek to develop their own nuclear arsenals.
• The US Administration has proposed and is funding research into new "useable" nuclear warheads, like the "mini-nuke" and the "bunker-buster".
• There is an enormous amount of poorly secured nuclear weapons materials in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The danger that these materials may get into the hands of terrorists is real and growing.
• The US Administration has unilaterally withdrawn from the Anti-Ballistic missile treaty in order to build a space defense system.
• The US Senate refused to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
• India and Pakistan, both nuclear states, have come close to war over Kashmir several times since the late 1990's.
• The Korean Peninsula is engulfed in a nuclear crisis.

Q. What can be done about terrorists getting hold of nuclear weapons?

A. The US will need to honor international treaties and work cooperatively with other nations to strengthen nonproliferation efforts, The nuclear materials in countries of the former Soviet Union will need to be secured. And the US must begin the process of eliminating nuclear arsenals in measured and definable ways.

Q. This is a big problem. What can I do?

A. There are many things you can do:

• Educate yourself through books, movies, web sites.
• Join with others to express your concern about nuclear weapons.
• Link your efforts to local, state and national initiatives against nuclear weapons.
• Share your concerns with your federal legislators.
• Raise your concerns about nuclear weapons with those who are running for public office, particularly on the federal level.
• Vote for those who most effectively address this issue.