Global Disarmament Initiative
Nuclear Weapons are becoming Illegal but you probably didn't know.
Nuclear Weapons are becoming Illegal but You Probably didn't Know *
Important Preface
“Attempting to live fulfilling, peaceful, and joyous lives amid the looming threat and fear of nuclear war has created an undercurrent of desperation, bullying, and division for generations; and total misprioritization of human energy and financial potential. It is time to move on.”
– Peace President
About Global Disarmament and Getting Involved
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) represents a historic international effort toward the elimination of nuclear weapons. Adopted at the United Nations in 2017 and entering into force on January 22, 2021, the treaty prohibits participating nations from developing, testing, producing, acquiring, possessing, stockpiling, transferring, using, or threatening to use nuclear weapons.
Today, 100 countries have taken formal action in support of the treaty through either becoming a state party or signing it, while the nuclear-armed nations — including the United States — have not joined.
This leaves humanity with an extraordinary question: How do we continue moving toward a world in which security no longer depends upon the threat of catastrophic destruction?
Supporters of the TPNW view the treaty as an important pathway toward nuclear disarmament and humanitarian security. Governments that have not joined generally cite concerns involving nuclear deterrence, national security, alliance obligations, and the practical conditions required for disarmament. The conversation therefore involves not only eliminating weapons, but reconsidering how nations understand security itself.
For those wishing to explore the issue further, the United Nations provides the official treaty and current participation information, while the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) offers extensive educational resources, international initiatives, and information about local disarmament efforts.
Contact Your Elected Officials
Want to make your voice heard? USA.gov provides an official tool for finding and contacting your federal, state, and local elected officials.
Need Support Writing Your Letter?
The American Psychological Association offers a practical guide for writing effective letters and emails to public officials. APA also maintains advocacy resources for finding and contacting federal and state representatives.
Informational Videos toward Peaceful Coexistence
Alarming Facts About the Destructive Power of Nuclear Weapons
Today nine nations collectively control more than 15,000 nuclear weapons, each hundreds of times more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We don’t need more nuclear weapons; we need a new generation to face the unfinished challenge of disarmament started decades ago. Nuclear reformer Erika Gregory calls on today’s rising leaders — those born in a time without Cold War fears and duck and cover training — to pursue an ambitious goal: ridding the world of nuclear weapons by 2045.
To better understand the scale of destruction, a single nuclear detonation over New York could absolutely devastate a huge portion of the city, kill hundreds of thousands or even millions depending on the weapon and conditions, and cripple the metropolitan area. A historical FAS analysis of a 4-megaton airburst over New York estimated 2.9–5 million fatalities and roughly 7.7 million casualties.
According to the 2026 Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor, the roughly 9,745 warheads currently available for military use have a combined explosive yield equivalent to more than 135,000 Hiroshima bombs.
The challenge before humanity is therefore not simply how to manage nuclear weapons, but whether future generations can continue the unfinished work of reducing and ultimately eliminating the possibility of nuclear catastrophe.
Nuclear disarmament advocates such as filmmaker and reformer Erika Gregory have called upon younger generations — many of whom grew up without the defining fears of the Cold War — to imagine and work toward a world free of nuclear weapons.
The world doesn't need more nuclear weapons by Erika Gregory
Marianne Williamson: We need a U.S. Department of Peace
Former U.S. presidential candidate, author, and longtime spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson has been one of the more prominent national political voices advocating for the creation of a cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace. During her 2020 presidential campaign, she proposed a department devoted specifically to peacebuilding, violence prevention, conflict resolution, restorative justice, trauma-informed care, and other domestic and international approaches intended to address the conditions that contribute to violence.
In the video below, Williamson explains why she believes peace should be cultivated intentionally within government rather than treated simply as the absence of war. Her proposal reflects a larger question at the heart of this page: What might government look like if creating peace received the same organized attention we give to preparing for conflict?
Marianne Williamson Interview on Peace and Change
The Insanity of Nuclear Deterence
When nuclear-armed nations face off, the threat of mutually assured destruction is expected to keep the worst from happening. But is this a rational strategy? Or is it one that is doomed to failure?
It appears that we have somehow normalized the idea that peace can be maintained by threatening one another with unimaginable destruction?
In this eye-opening and powerful talk, Commander Robert Green shares his experience piloting nuclear-armed aircraft and describes the journey that ultimately led him to become a staunch opponent of nuclear deterrence.
His message asks us to confront the underlying contradiction directly: Can humanity genuinely call itself secure when our security depends upon maintaining the ability to destroy one another?
Robert Green speaks on the Insanity of Nuclear Weapons
Modern Folk Song toward Ending the War Machine Idea
Michael & Nell premier their powerful new music video WAR MACHINE that exposes the link between war and climate change.
Resources and Organizations toward Abolishing Nuclear Weapons
“A Global Movement to End All Wars.”
“International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons | 26 September”
“Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons.”
“ICAN is a coalition of non-governmental organizations in one hundred countries.”
* Note: The individuals, organizations, and resources featured on this page are not affiliated with Peace President United. Inclusion is for educational and informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement of PPU.