Nuclear Weapons

They’re the most dangerous invention the world has ever seen. Can we prevent them from being used again?

They’re the most dangerous invention the world has ever seen. Can we prevent them from being used again?

What we’re facing

When the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the destruction was unlike anything experienced before. Tens of thousands of people died instantly. An entire city was destroyed in the flash of a single bomb.

Today, some 9,000 nuclear weapons remain in the world’s arsenals—with over 90 percent owned by the United States and Russia. Both countries are actively planning to build new weapons, sparking a 21st century arms race and increasing the risk of nuclear war.

Meanwhile, many of the Cold War’s most absurd and dangerous nuclear policies remain unchanged. In the United States, the president can order the launch of nuclear weapons without consulting anyone. And US policy allows it to use nuclear weapons first in a non-nuclear conflict with Russia, China, or North Korea—likely starting a nuclear war.

These policies and plans threaten the world in very real ways, and they need to change. You can help.