Experience with Reverse the Trend

Experience with Reverse the Trend

By Maya Jamroz 

Being a part of Reverse the Trend has been an incredibly eye opening and rewarding experience. I’ve always cared deeply about the environment, but it wasn’t until working with NAPF and Reverse the Trend that I connected the dots with nuclear weapons. Throughout my education, nuclear weapons were never discussed, save one exception. In history class, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was presented as an unfortunate but necessary action. I, like many, had fallen prey to the peddled narrative that nuclear weapons protect us and are all part of deterrence theory. 

This is a FALSE narrative. In reality, the existence of nuclear weapons is a threat to mankind’s survival. Rather than preventing aggression, nuclear weapons instead provoke global tension. Nuclear weapons only cause devastation. The anguish caused by nuclear weapons reaches far beyond the immediate casualties of the target zone and the long-term inhabitability of lands. From the mining of uranium to the testing of nuclear weapons, the number of atrocities and human suffering--which almost always fall upon minority populations and communities--is simply mind-numbing. Yet, most people do not know about it. Many governments work hard to sweep these atrocities under the rug.

This is why education is so important. The lack of public information on the existential threat of nuclear weapons must be combated through the expansion of education and incorporation of the issue of nuclear weapons into school curriculums. The youth are the future. It is time for the world to recognize them as agents of change. This is where Reverse the Trend comes into play. Reverse the Trend is a global youth advocacy network that seeks to elevate the voices of young people and provides an extensive curriculum and community forum in which informed discussion can occur. 

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is incredibly important. The TPNW is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons. This includes commitments to not develop, test, produce, acquire, stockpile, use or threaten to use, nuclear weapons. In addition to filling the gaping holes from prior nuclear weapon treaties, the TPNW also obliges state parties to assist victims and remediate the environment affected by use and testing. Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, the nuclear states and many other countries who rely on other nations' nuclear weapons for their security have not signed the treaty. 

The TPNW is shifting the paradigm on nuclear weapons--from nuclear deterrence to the catastrophic consequences they pose. Further stigmatizing the dangers of nuclear weapons, TPNW represents a new beginning. Yet there is so much more work to be done. Disarmament education and youth advocacy are imperative for the continued existence of mankind.