City of Pasadena
Nuclear Weapon Education Resolution
WHEREAS, nine nations collectively have approximately 12,500 [1] nuclear weapons in their arsenals, most of which are far more destructive than those that killed hundreds of thousands of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 [2];
WHEREAS, the detonation of even a small number of these weapons could have catastrophic human and environmental consequences that could threaten human civilization itself [3] and affect everyone on the planet;
WHEREAS, the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and numerous human security and social justice concerns highlight the need for greater investment in our communities;
WHEREAS, the foreseeable decline of habitable land due to climate change will increase conflict between nuclear-armed nations over land and migration on unprecedented levels, which could make the use of nuclear weapons all the more possible [4];
WHEREAS, tensions between the United States and Russia have risen to levels not seen since the Cold War, with the two nuclear giants confronting each other in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Syria, and an accelerated tempo of military exercises and war games, both conventional and nuclear, on both sides;
WHEREAS, the United States, as well as Britain, China, France, and Russia, are obligated under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to take concrete steps toward eliminating their nuclear arsenals [5];
WHEREAS, in July 2017, 122 nations approved the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which entered into force on January 22, 2021, making it illegal under international law to develop, test, produce, manufacture, or otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; As of September 30, 2023, 93 countries have signed the TPNW and 69 countries have ratified it [6];
WHEREAS, The United Nations recognizes the importance of youth education in the context of nuclear weapons. According to the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, “Young people can play a decisive role in how their societies and governments view nuclear weapons when they are educated, engaged, and empowered” [7];
WHEREAS, 42 percent of adolescents reported that they felt they had not been given sufficient information about nuclear issues in school [8];
WHEREAS, a recent randomized controlled study with high school students showed that education will increase the literacy of nuclear weapons;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the city of Pasadena implement a nuclear education curriculum in public high schools to teach the science, history, policies, and effects of nuclear weapons.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution will be sent to the Pasadena Unified District of Education Board.
Introduced by Kanon Iwata and Manon Iwata, Teens 4 Disarmament and Nonproliferation
Resources:
[1]: https://fas.org/initiative/status-world-nuclear-forces/
[2]: https://thebulletin.org/2020/08/counting-the-dead-at-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/
[3]: https://www.ippnw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ENGLISH-Nuclear-Famine-Report-Final-bleed-marks.pdf
[4]: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/nuclear-defense-climate-change/
[5]: https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/nptfact
[6]: https://www.icanw.org/signature_and_ratification_status