Activists at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference, the COP 28 in Dubai, and the 2nd Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the 2MSP in New York met via zoom on November 30 to share experiences from the two big overlapping international meetings. The conversation included activists from the Warheads to Windmills Coalition, International Peace Bureau, Peace Boat, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Some of the common themes coming out of both meetings were the importance of hearing the voices of affected communities and the need to fund victim assistance and environmental remediation both in relation to climate damage and damage from nuclear testing and ongoing effects of uranium mining, etc. The importance of focusing on the human cost of these existential threats was also stressed, as was the emphasis on following the science and the importance of the medical profession in raising the alarm about both issues.
This event was a crucial step in linking the climate and nuclear movements, the first of many conversations to come on how we can work together, engage wider audiences, and educate on the interconnectedness of these issues. Watch the recording to hear from the activists!
