Dear Friends,
Before we talk about nuclear war (sorry, gotta do it), here’s what else we’ve got in store for you this week:
Ira Helfand
Nuclear Power. Should nuclear power be part of the mix of non-fossil-fuel energy sources in the New Climate Era? David Kraft is the director of the Nuclear Energy Information Service and served on the national Nuclear Waste Citizens Coalition.
David’s take is that nuclear power has no place in our energy future. I concur. Other climate leaders disagree (James Hansen, for one). Listen to my conversation with David, starting at the 2-minute mark, and let me know where you stand.
Climate March. Ted Glick is a veteran of eight marches and decades of climate activism. He talks about a recent five-day trek focused on convincing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to stop the expansion of seven proposed fossil fuel projects in New Jersey. Ted and the coalition he works with have already been successful at stopping three expansion projects. Not a bad track record. That discussion begins at the 20-minute mark.
September Garden Q & A. Kathy Byrnes and I answer seasonal questions about cracks on tomatoes, planting fall crops, fighting silly Home Owner Association restrictions on pollinator plants, and more. We dig into that convo at the 54-minute mark.
Nuclear War. I really hate talking about this, and I imagine you do, too. But let’s be adults. Humanity has a nuclear weapons problem that could wipe out everything — yes, everything! Americans were more woke (yeah, I said woke) about the nuclear threat back in the 1980s.
Real change was accomplished at that time, including a ban on nuclear testing, in large part because of the huge global, grassroots movement to end the nuclear arms race.
It was fear of nuclear war that compelled me to become politically active in 1984. I was farming my family’s ancestral land in Ireland that year. In between planting potatoes and making hay, I participated in protests organized by Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament against then-president Ronald Reagan’s unsuccessful proposal to station nuclear missiles in Ireland.
When I moved back to the states in 1985, I joined a blossoming movement that continued to grow and agitate for change. Toward the end of the decade, it seemed we were on the cusp of solid progress toward a nuclear-free future, especially after the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Empire crumbled. So many activists, including me, moved on to other pressing concerns.
Maybe that was a mistake, since for the past several decades, most of the world has been sleep-walking through the reality that nuclear annihilation is as much a threat now as it was in the 1980s. Nine nations now have a total of 13,000 nuclear weapons — enough to blow the world to smithereens multiple times over.
Dr. Ira Helfand joins me today for this difficult discussion — a discussion that has become more urgent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ira’s active with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. He’s also past president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. During our segment, which starts at around the 36-minute mark, Ira shares compelling observations and important information. Again, as always, your feedback is welcome.
If you want to dig a little deeper and take action:
(1) Watch this excellent TED Talk by Brian Toon. The talk has been viewed over 8 million times and Ira is mentioned — a credit to his expertise on the issue.
(2) It’s election time, so let your federal elected officials know your vote depends on their willingness to support reducing the world’s nuclear arsenals.
(3) Join a local peace group (emphasis on LOCAL). Four in my area that I respect and recommend are Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility, Catholic Peace Ministry, Iowa Peace Network, and Des Moines Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. — Ed
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(01:59) The case against nuclear power, with David Kraft;
(20:24) A five-day march to end fossil-fuel expansion in New Jersey, with Ted Glick;
(36:36) The nuclear threat is as real as ever, with Ira Helfand;
(54:12) September Garden Q & A, with Kathy Byrnes, Birds & Bees Urban Farm.
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Ed Fallon