International webinar: April 21, 2020. Held in conjunction with Earth Day 2020 and the Global Days of Action on Military Spending, April 10 – May 5, 2020. Watch the video here.
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for governments and the international community to focus more on human security issues and to shift resources from military spending, especially the nuclear weapons budgets, to accomplish this. However, the nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries have vested financial interests in maintaining the nuclear arms race and a fossil fuel economy. They are a potent political force preventing change.
Governments, cities, religious communities, universities, banks and private investors can shift these financial incentives by divesting from the nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries and re-allocating these investments according to ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) principals. Such actions provide political support for legislative efforts to cut nuclear weapons budgets, especially in the USA and UK.
During the webinar, held April 21, international experts and activists highlighted examples of nuclear weapons and fossil fuel divestment and examined how these can assist initiatives to cut nuclear weapons budgets and support public health, climate protection and sustainable development.
The event included the preview of a Handbook on Nuclear Weapons Divestment which will be produced by the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign.
The webinar was sponsored by Abolition 2000, Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament and the World Future Council.
