City Council resolution urges U.S. to pull 'Back from the Brink', prevent nuclear war

Approximately 13,100 nuclear warheads exist in the world today, with 91 percent of these weapons owned by the United States and Russia, and pose a significant risk to human survival.

The United States was the first country to develop and use nuclear weapons in war. Nine nations collectively have approximately 13,100 nuclear weapons in their arsenals, most of which are far more destructive than those that killed hundreds of thousands of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. The detonation of even a small number of these weapons could have catastrophic human and environmental consequences that could affect everyone on the planet.

The United States maintains several hundred nuclear missiles in underground silos on hair-trigger alert, capable of being launched within minutes after a presidential order, which greatly increases the risk of an accidental, mistaken or unauthorized launch.

Taxpayers spend over $2 million every hour of every day to maintain the United States’ nuclear arsenal. On January 22, 2021, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force with a current 55 ratifications and 86 signatures, and support from the majority of the world’s nations.

A grassroots movement called “Back from the Brink: The Call to Prevent Nuclear War” has been endorsed by over 380 health, environmental, academic, peace, faith, and justice organizations and has resulted in resolutions approved by numerous municipalities and states across the country.

At this week’s City Council meeting, the Council adopted a resolution renouncing nuclear weapons proliferation and urging the United States to pull "Back from the Brink" and prevent nuclear war.