The number of direct, short term casualties and collateral damage to US medical services were calculated for two thermonuclear attack scenarios. The first scenario would cause 52 million prompt fatalities, 9 million injuries, and massive destruction of US health facilities. The second scenario produces more than 100 million casualties. Even with an effective US NMD system—defined as capable of successfully interception more than 100 warheads—nearly 70 million fatalities would occur. Read more »

Published in February, 2009 by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: A Debate, is a comprehensive look at the challenges of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Read more »

Every human being on the planet has the right to basic nutrition and health. Yet, the United Nations estimates that as many as 963 million people in the world are undernourished. A combination of economic and geographical factors conspires to deprive people of sustainable access to safe, nutritious, and palatable food. Consequently, a substantial and increasing proportion of the population is denied health and therefore cannot hope to live productive lives. Read more »

When public health crises occur, whether they be the unexpected side effects of a medication, a grave natural disaster or an epidemic, doctors are looked to as leaders and advocates for treatment and future prevention. In the event of a nuclear explosion, doctors would be the vanguards of the emergency response. Read more »

A critical review of the Department of Energy's epidemiologic research. Read more »

PowerPoint presentation on how nuclear weapons put the United States at risk today--and how we can reduce and eventually eliminate the danger posed by the thousands of nuclear weapons still stockpiled in nuclear arsenals, the tons of nuclear bomb making material vulnerable to theft by extremists, and the specter of more nations potentially seeking nuclear weapons. Read more »

Recent studies have shown that even a “limited” nuclear conflict, involving as few as 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs, would have global climate implications. Among the most serious consequences, a significant cooling of the earth's surface would curtail growing seasons for a decade or more, affecting the food security of billions of people far removed from the area of conflict. Read more »

The Bush Administration’s Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) would increase waste storage and proliferation concerns arising from the use and projected expansion of nuclear energy by legitimizing the use of reprocessing and enrichment technologies. Read more »

The recent study by Robock et al on the climatic consequences of regional nuclear war shows that even a “limited” nuclear conflict, involving as few as 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs, would have global implications with significant cooling of the earth's surface and decreased precipitation in many parts of the world. Even a modest, sudden decline in agricultural production could trigger significant increases in the prices for basic foods and hoarding on a global scale, both of which would make food inaccessible to poor people in much of the world. Read more »

In the years since 1999, when the United States Senate failed to ratify the CTBT, many changes have occurred. These changes call for a renewal of the debate surrounding CTBT concerns. Successful verification measures and Stockpile Stewardship have opened up possibilities that did not seem feasible in 1999. The U.S. must take the lead once again on nuclear non-proliferation and ratify the CTBT. Read more »