News
Publication of the Report “Pandemic Future and Nuclear Weapon Risks – The Nagasaki 75th Anniversary Pandemic-Nuclear Nexus Scenarios”
2020-12-17
Lessons from COVID-19 for Tackling Global Existential Risks
A new report by the Asia Pacific Leadership Network, Nautilus Institute and RECNA explores new ways to think about addressing nuclear weapons in a world re-shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic
New analysis by the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA), the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (APLN), and Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, explores how the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 and future pandemics could alter the landscape for nuclear risk and disarmament.
In less than a year, the global pandemic has exposed how in an interconnected world states can lack the capacity and political will to effectively manage a public disaster. The new report identifies future scenarios, challenges and opportunities for governments, civil society, and market actors to reduce existential risks, including nuclear risks, in Northeast Asia. The findings are the culmination of a series of scenario planning workshops imagining highly uncertain future conditions and generating a series of “robust actions” that if taken today would ensure that states and societies are better prepared for future risks.
Full text of the report (PDF) is here.
