Addressing the Humanitarian and Environmental Consequences of Atmospheric Nuclear Weapon Tests: A Case Study of UK and US Test Programs at Kiritimati (Christmas) and Malden Islands, Republic of Kiribati

Alexis‐Martin, Becky; Bolton, Matthew; Hawkins, Dimity; Tisch, Sydney; Mangioni, Talei Luscia

doi:10.1111/1758-5899.12913

Cited by 18 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…We address this problem at a period when the policies and measures needed to respond to the humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons use and testing are receiving increased attention. So far, most studies have focussed on providing insights for implementing victim assistance in relation to the activation of the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) (Alexis‐Martin et al, 2021; Bolton, 2022; Bolton & Minor, 2021; Minor et al, 2021; Van Duzer & Sanders‐Zakre, 2021). The TPNW's Article 6 obligates the affected states to provide victim assistance and engage in environmental remediation.…”

Section: ‘State Compensation’ For the Atomic Bomb Damage: A Continuin...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the atomic bomb damage: Associations between ‘state compensation’ demands and aspects of survivors' suffering

2023

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To address the long‐lasting consequences of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in 1994, the Japanese government implemented the current in‐force Atomic Bomb Survivors Support Law. This substantial policy offers medical, health and welfare measures and even incorporates some reparations‐like aspects. Nevertheless, atomic bomb survivors' organisations have severely criticised the government for failing to adequately address the entirety and inhumanity of the atomic bomb damage by refusing to enact the law on a clearly stated principle of ‘state compensation’. As such, we attempt to clarify empirically what aspects of survivors' suffering are most closely associated with their demands for ‘state compensation’. Based on statistical model‐based analysis, survivors who deem that ‘state compensation’ should be enacted experience frequent flashbacks of the bombings, disadvantaged life opportunities and economic concerns, among others. We conclude the study by considering the difficulty in addressing the consequences of nuclear weapons use and testing through programmes that approximate, but fail to establish, clear reparations‐based measures, such as the current Atomic Bomb Survivors Support Law.

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Section: ‘State Compensation’ For the Atomic Bomb Damage: A Continuin...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the atomic bomb damage: Associations between ‘state compensation’ demands and aspects of survivors' suffering

2023

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“…The initial detonation of a nuclear weapon following a particular test or use, particularly during the "blast phase", can incinerate the immediately proximate environment, including flora, fauna, and agricultural lands 22 with temperatures reaching similar levels to that of the sun. 23 The extent of environmental damage caused by nuclear weapons testing to former test sites has also been well documented.…”

Section: A Nuclear Weapon Testing and Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Scope of Nuclear Weapons-Related Activities Covered under the Environmental Remediation Obligation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Evans

2022

AsianJIL

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The entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in January 2021 has sparked much discussion of the Treaty's positive obligations under Article 6. But while victim assistance under Article 6(1) has received considerable attention, the environmental remediation obligation within Article 6(2) remains underexplored. Filling this gap, this article examines a specific issue relating to environmental remediation under Article 6(2): the scope of nuclear weapons-related activities captured by the obligation imposed upon TPNW parties. Ultimately, it is revealed that significant ambiguity exists as to the scope of activities covered when applying the rules of treaty interpretation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. After offering some policy arguments both for and against a broad interpretation, this paper recommends that TPNW parties should begin to advance and clarify their positions on this issue in order to clearly identify the scope of Article 6(2).

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“…Numerous studies indicate the many social reasons for converting the defence sector so as to mitigate the harms arising from it including, for example, forcibly displacing indigenous and marginalized communities to make room for natural resource extraction (e.g., Delina, 2020); and the damaging health impacts from military installations (e.g., Alvarez, 2021), the testing of weapons (e.g., Alexis‐Martin et al., 2021) and their use in military operations (e.g., Frey, 2013). However, beyond the social case for reducing arms production, there is also a strong environmental case.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Converting the United States and United Kingdom defence sector to civil production: The views of defence workers

Bell,

Price,

McLoughlin

et al. 2023

Peace & Change

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There are many social, environmental, and economic reasons for converting from defence manufacturing to civil production. Importantly, such a transformation could support more peace in the world while still ensuring the secure jobs that the defence sector has historically provided. The views of defence workers on such a transition are important to understanding how this change could effectively and equitably occur. To capture some of these views, the research project on which this paper is based involved interviewing 58 former and current defence sector workers in the United States and the United Kingdom and convening key leadership focus groups which included their trade union representatives. Though these workers' opinions were not entirely polarized and some interviewees had mixed and nuanced views, they loosely fell into three categories (a) opposed to defence diversification, (b) supportive of defence diversification, and (c) supportive in principle but thought that it would be unlikely to happen. The (a) category of defence workers primarily based their view on the idea that the defence sector is necessary for security and a feeling of pride in supporting this endeavor. The (b) category views were built on the perceived harm of the sector, the potential ‘peace dividend’ that would arise from transition, and feelings of guilt about working in the sector. The (c) group of workers identified the profit motive, worker attachment to defence jobs, technological issues, and the economic and political power of the defence companies as the key barriers to change. Proposals for effectively converting included economic incentives, government regulation, and organizing trade unions to push for change. A unified view was that workers want to be involved in discussions about these issues in their workplace and unions.

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Addressing the Humanitarian and Environmental Consequences of Atmospheric Nuclear Weapon Tests: A Case Study of UK and US Test Programs at Kiritimati (Christmas) and Malden Islands, Republic of Kiribati

Cited by 18 publications

References 29 publications

Addressing the atomic bomb damage: Associations between ‘state compensation’ demands and aspects of survivors' suffering

Addressing the atomic bomb damage: Associations between ‘state compensation’ demands and aspects of survivors' suffering

Examining the Scope of Nuclear Weapons-Related Activities Covered under the Environmental Remediation Obligation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Converting the United States and United Kingdom defence sector to civil production: The views of defence workers

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