CAMPAIGN FOR A PLUTONIUM FREE WORLD
Initiate a Resolution for a Plutonium Free World in your community.
On February 23, 1993, exactly 52 years to the day after plutonium was first isolated at the University of California at Berkeley, the City Council of Berkeley passed a Resolution Supporting the Goal of a Plutonium Free World. The resolution buttresses the city's already existing nuclear free ordinance, the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act. Plutonium Free Future, the organization that initiated this resolution, invites you to initiate a similar resolution in your community.
WHY PLUTONIUM FREE?
You might ask why we need "plutonium-free" in addition to "nuclear-free." Isn't a ban on the production, use, and transport of plutonium already covered by Nuclear Free Zone statutes established in many communities?
These existing Zones, as valuable as they are, only apply to the immediate communities. The Resolution for a Plutonium Free World calls for a ban on the production, use, and transport of plutonium throughout the world, recognizing that no Nuclear Free Zone can keep out radioactive contamination carried by air, water, soil, and animal migration. Plutonium, entirely human-made, is the most toxic radioactive material known--just one millionth of an ounce is a lethal human dose. Because of its lengthy half-life, some of the plutonium already manufactured and currently being produced will still be dangerously radioactive for at least 240,000 years. We must stop its production immediately everywhere on the planet, and safely contain what already exists, or no one will be safe from its poison.
MILITARY USES OF PLUTONIUM
A key component of nuclear weapons, plutonium thus far has been essentially a military material, and, as such, held and regulated by the world's nuclear powers. While the military nuclear threat of the Cold War has abated, significant amounts of plutonium are unaccounted for within the former Soviet Union, in the United States, and in other nuclear states. With civil unrest growing all over the world, the world may be increasingly threatened by plutonium-based terrorism from militia and guerrilla groups and crime syndicates, as well as governments competing for power.
THE THREAT OF PLUTONIUM-FUELED ENERGY
While some arms dismantling is underway in the United States and
Russia, several nations are pursuing plutonium-fueled energy programs, including
Russia, North and South Korea, France, and Japan. Such programs result in
greater proliferation and stockpiling of this deadly material and escalate
the already staggering human and environmental costs of radioactive
pollution.
NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT
Plutonium-fueled power is still in experimental stages, entailing enormous costs in security, safety, pollution, and waste containment. We have the chance to stop this dangerous industry now, before it gets further underway. As massive amounts of plutonium are decommissioned from warheads, people around the world must make sure it is safely and securely contained and not spread further through theft and pollution, or even for so-called peaceful uses. We must demand that science research ways to render it useless for weapons or any other application. The more than 400 tons of existing plutonium is already enough to kill all life on the planet many times over. We must above all insist that no more of this terrible substance be produced to haunt this and future generations.
THE RESOLUTION FOR A PLUTONIUM-FREE WORLD
Passing legislation calling for a Plutonium Free World is an effective
way for communities to take a stand on plutonium, sending a clear message
to governments and the multinational nuclear industry that we will not tolerate
the endangering of life and the planet for the sake of profit and power.
The Resolution is also an effective tool for educating the public and media
on nuclear issues. Here is what you can do:
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Click here to view text of A Resolution in Support of a Plutonium Free World.