Lettersto the Ceditor
Proliferation of nuclear weapons
Sir,
Nuclear energy is the most discussed word in the 21st century. There are many good aspects of the course; however, it is becoming alarming in the society. Probably the most tremendous invention is nuclear weapon. Controlling the proliferation of nuclear weapons is one of the major challenges we face as a global citizen. Nuclear weapon cause severe damage to the climate and environment on a scale incomparable to any other weapon. Research by International Red Cross shows the effect of a limited nuclear war involving 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs. They estimate that a billion people around the world could face starvation as a result of a nuclear war. At now around 4,100 warheads are considered operational, of which about 1,800 US and Russian warheads are on high alerts, ready for use on a short notice. As a third world country, are these figures not alarming enough for us? Low-enriched Uranium poses no risk of proliferation as it is generally used to make nuclear weapons and is used as fuels in commercial nuclear energy facilities. But the HEU (high-enriched uranium) can be used to make weapons and it has no commercial value. So it is necessary to control the uses of this HEU. Controlling proliferation of nuclear weapon involves national governments, intergovernmental organization and non-governmental (civil society) organizations action. At least it is essential for the sake of humanism.
Anindita Dey
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
