#OneFuture: A world beyond nuclear weapons
The nuclear threat is back.
This time it’s more dangerous than ever.
Global safeguards are collapsing, rhetoric is escalating and a new arms race is accelerating.
Yet, this threat is not inevitable.
Humanity built nuclear weapons and we can build a safer future without them.
If we act together.
Explore the issues and be part of the solutions
An era without guardrails
Agreements that kept nuclear weapons in
check for decades are vanishing.
A world without limits on the vast nuclear arsenals, is a world on the edge of disaster.
The breaking taboo
What was once unthinkable is now being spoken aloud.
How rhetoric, tactical weapons, and political posturing are normalising nuclear use.
The new arms race
Recording spending is fuelling a dangerous spiral of power, money, and mistrust.
Global crises go underfunded, and nuclear risks are escalating.
Leadership by the few
Nuclear policy is controlled by a narrow group of leaders but it affects us all.
Tackling injustices at the heart of nuclear leadership is key to overcoming the threat.
Nuclear threat by numbers
Number of nuclear weapons in existence, with the U.S. and Russia possessing 87% of these.
Estimated casualties from a limited nuclear war involving 100 warheads.
U.S. planned spending on nuclear weapons over 30 years.
A single nuclear weapon can cause unimaginable destruction
Nuclear war would be the end of civilization as we know it.
Modern payloads
2,000 nuclear warheads in existence have a combined destructive power of close to 100,000 Hiroshima or Nagasaki sized bombs
Billions of deaths
Scientists estimate that even in a relatively limited nuclear war involving 100 warheads, up to 2 billion people could die from famine, while a more full-scale nuclear war involving 1000 warheads could kill as many as 5 billion in just the first two years, with millions more suffering radiation sickness and long-term health effects.
Unstoppable firestorms
Nuclear detonations create massive firestorms, incinerating cities and suffocating survivors in the surrounding areas.
Environmental devastation
Nuclear blasts release radiation that poisons land and water, making entire regions uninhabitable for generations. A regional nuclear war could disrupt global food production, plunging billions into famine as smoke blocks the sun.
No medical response
No country is prepared for a nuclear attack, healthcare systems would collapse, and there would be no effective aid for survivors.
Global fallout
Radiation from nuclear war wouldn’t be contained, winds would carry radioactive particles across the world, affecting every continent
Disarmament isn’t idealism, it’s common sense.
After the cold war, public pressure and cooperation across political divides helped reduce nuclear stockpiles by 80%.
We can do it again. If we work together.
"The key to overcoming the threat of nuclear weapons lies in united, collective action."
Juan Manuel Santos - Elder
The Elders' calls to leaders:
4 D's to reduce the current nuclear threat
Doctrine
Every nuclear-armed state should make an unequivocal “No First Use” declaration.
Deployment
More than one-quarter of the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons is currently operationally deployed. This proportion must be dramatically and urgently reduced.
De-alerting
The highest priority must be given to taking as many weapons as possible off their current high-alert status.
Decreased numbers
The number of nuclear warheads should be reduced from 12,500 to the lowest possible level, with the US and Russia reducing to no more than 500 each, which should serve as an upper ceiling for any nuclear state
80th Remembrance:
Lessons from Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The Elders visit Hiroshima to mark 80th anniversary of atomic bombing
Among a range of activities, Elders heard first-hand testimony from survivors and hosted a dialogue with youth activists for disarmament.
Elders's statement: "No more Hiroshimas"
The Elders used their visit to Hiroshima in May 2025 to call for urgent nuclear dialogue as conflict risks rise.
The Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Hiroshima Peace Cranes
How one schoolgirl's courage inspired a movement.
Recalling his sister Sadako, he explains the importance of symbols like the paper crane to advance peace.
Latest nuclear weapons news
Israel-Iran | 16.8.25
Israel launched a wave of attacks involving more than 50 aircraft, claiming Iranian centrifuge and missile production sites were targeted. Retaliation and escalation risks derailing U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations.
WHA78 | 27.5.25
World Health Assembly passes resolution to update WHO's research on the health impacts of nuclear weapons.