[Blog] Never again the destruction of humanity

Anniversary of Hiroshima: On 6th August 1945, an American atomic bomb was detonated on the city of Hiroshima, killing an estimated 130,000 people.

The main causes of destruction of humans and life on the planet are through wars, genocides, epidemics, famines, natural catastrophes, technology, nuclear bombs and soon, climate change and global warming. At a time when Russia, Iran, USA, and others are brandishing the nuclear threat, the story of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must be told again.

We are a small planet out of billions of others. Our planet supports life, especially conscious human life. How precious! How unique. We can only be grateful for life. All our actions and words can only respect life, protect life, and enjoy life. No place for destruction.

Has our real concern about climate change and global warming made us forget the threat of atomic war and other causes of death to human beings? Having written on numerous occasions on the nuclear safety issue in the past as well as being the author of the Nuclear Rectangle theory (a major nuclear war world could modify the orbit of planet Earth around the sun), I urge readers to join the worldwide campaign of the seventies to ban the bomb, to fight for nuclear safety. It is more than ever necessary today in 2024.

At present nine countries out of 193 countries on planet Earth possess nuclear weapons (atomic or hydrogen bombs), namely:

• Russia, 6,850 nuclear warheads
• US, 6,550 warheads
• France, 300 warheads
• China, 280 warheads
• UK, 215 warheads
• Pakistan, 145 warheads
• India, 135 warheads
• Israel, 80 warheads
• North Korea, 15 warheads.

With North Korea expanding its nuclear arsenal, other countries are trying to get the bomb (Iran for example?).

On the positive side, 4 countries including South Africa, that formerly possessed nuclear weapons, gave them up. One of the greatest fears today is that a terrorist organisation gets its hands on a nuclear device, some of which are small enough to get into a large lorry.

Radiation is the greatest enemy of life, of all organic living things on planet Earth. Remember the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, where radioactive material was released and affected people, animals and plants.

In this nuclear world, what is the meaning of 'safe'?

Are we reassured knowing who in these countries has his finger (or her finger!) on the nuclear trigger? Donald and Vladimir? Narendra and Shehbaz Sharif? Benjamin and Kim Jong-un? Emmanuel and Keir? Xi Jinping? Can we trust them?

Only one country: the United States detonated two atomic bombs, on people, in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (on 6th August) and Nagasaki (on 9th August) in 1945. How many people were killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

The two bombs killed an estimated 130,000 and 225,000 people respectively, most of whom were civilians. The USA remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons to destroy cities and structures and inflict death, admittedly in an armed conflict, the Second World War. Therefore, a pertinent question for us: Are nuclear missiles and bombs stockpiled by the USA in the Chagos?

Never again to the deadly destruction of humanity, for example through wars (e.g. during the 30 or so wars of the 20th century, 2 of them world wars, 100 million humans were slaughtered!)

Dr Michael Atchia

(Former United Nations Programme Director)

(For Democracy Watch Mauritius)

6th August 2025.