The Warheads to Windmills Campaign is a national effort to support the elimination of nuclear weapons and fossil fuels, by putting pressure on the corporations most responsible for perpetuating the two existential threats these pose to humanity – namely the threat of nuclear war and the threat of climate catastrophe, either one of which could make this planet uninhabitable for humans or other species.
The Warheads to Windmills Campaign is run by a coalition of organizations committed to the total elimination of both nuclear weapons and fossil fuels. All the human, financial and political resources wasted on nuclear weapons could be used to solve – and pay for – the remaining challenges to a complete decarbonization of the economy, thus turning “warheads” into “windmills” and saving the planet from two existential threats at once.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW, or “Nuclear Ban Treaty”), agreed in 2017 by 122 countries at the United Nations, bans everything to do with nuclear weapons, no “ands”, “ifs” or “buts”! This treaty represents the overwhelming consensus of world public opinion on what can and must be done to save this planet from the threat posed by nuclear weapons. So long as these weapons exist, there is the increasing possibility of their use.
The United States can and must sign the TPNW as a first step towards the total elimination of these weapons. Prior to ratification by the Senate and entry into force of the treaty for the United States, the US should work with the other 8 nuclear-armed nations to ensure this leads to the complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of all nuclear weapons from all countries.
We are already in the midst of a climate crisis, but to avoid a climate catastrophe that could make this planet uninhabitable, greenhouse gas emissions must be urgently and drastically curtailed. The Paris Agreement does not even mention fossil fuels, and yet 86% of global CO2 emissions (and nearly 80% of all greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, etc) are from the burning of fossil fuels. Nothing is more important to restoring a sustainable climate than ending all burning of fossil fuels as soon as possible.
A new Fossil Fuel Treaty would make everything to do with the continued burning of fossil fuels as illegal as the continued production and maintenance of nuclear weapons. These two treaties, above all, put pressure on the private companies which are involved in both these industries – and which operate all across the globe.
The Warheads to Windmills Coalition is committed to using the Nuclear Ban Treaty and a future Fossil Fuel Treaty as tools to educate people across the US to support the elimination of both nuclear weapons and fossil fuels for the sake of our survival.
The Coalition aims to get individuals, faith communities, businesses, colleges, cities, and states to “align” themselves with these international agreements, by disconnecting and divesting, as far as possible, from both fossil fuels and the nuclear weapons industry. This sends a powerful message: The age of nuclear weapons and fossil fuels is now over, and we must move on to a different way of relating to the rest of the world and to the planet.
The advocacy (501c4) work of the Coalition is coordinated and funded by NuclearBan.US and the tax-deductible (501c3) work is coordinated and funded by the Treaty Alignment Campaign. Donations to the tax-deductible work can be made out to: Warheads to Windmills and donations for the non-tax-deductible work can be made out to: Warheads to Windmills (Advocacy).