Nuclear Weapons: Upcoming webinars & Student Pugwash Conference 2025!
Posted: 10th January 2025
Happy new year! I’m reaching out to let you know about three upcoming exciting events in the movement for the abolition of nuclear weapons: a webinar on 16 January, ‘Demystifying Divestment’; another on 26 January, ‘Autonomous Armageddon: Nuclear Weapons and AI’; and the 8th Annual Student/Young Pugwash Conference on 15 March, for which the call for presentations is now open!
Warheads to Windmills, ICAN, and Green Future Wealth Management webinar: ‘Demystifying Divestment’
Join this webinar on Thursday, 16 January at 6pm, to learn more about divestment – a powerful campaigning tool being used around the world to put pressure on the companies maintaining the fossil fuel and nuclear weapons industries. An especially well-timed event as the Medact Nuclear Weapons Group grows our Don’t Bank on the Bomb UK (DBOTB) campaign this year! .Keep an eye out for our upcoming network meetings and new resources. And if you’re super keen, email Zahraa, DBOTB Project Coordinator, to get more involved with this campaign: [email protected].
IPPNW, ICAN, and Pugwash webinar: ‘Autonomous Armageddon: Nuclear Weapons and AI’
Join this webinar on Sunday, 26 January at 2pm, to explore the alarming dangers posed by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into nuclear weapons systems. Hosted by three Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisations dedicated to eliminating nuclear weapons, this event will feature expert speakers, including:
- Representative of Nihon Hidankyo, 2024 Nobel Peace Prize
- Sir Geoffrey Hinton, 2024 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics
- Connor Lahey, CEO of Conjecture (AI safety research)
- Dr. Ruth Mitchell, neurosurgeon and Chair of IPPNW, 1985 Nobel Peace Prize
- Melissa Parke, Executive Director of ICAN, 2017 Nobel Peace Prize
- Karen Hallberg (moderator), Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, 1995 Nobel Peace Prize
Together, they will discuss the general and specific risks AI presents to nuclear command and control systems, the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear war, and ongoing initiatives to mitigate these threats. Register today and share widely!
8th Annual Student/Young Pugwash Conference: Call for presentations
Last but not least, the 8th Annual Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) Conference is coming up on Saturday 15th March this year, on the theme ‘Stepping back from the brink of nuclear war: fresh thinking on peace and disarmament’ – online and at London location (TBA).
Get involved!
SYP wants to give students and young professionals the opportunity to present their thoughts and findings on peace, security and disarmament. They are looking for original ideas to support diplomacy, peace-building and disarmament. You don’t need to have a background in nuclear weapons to apply. They are most keen to hear from people with an enthusiasm for and interest in the subject.
Submissions from students at all levels of study, non-academics and from all disciplines are welcome. Submit proposals and find out more about the conference by contacting SYP UK Coordinator Dr Tim Street: [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is Friday 31st January 2025!
Find out more by reading the Call for Presentations on the British Pugwash website.
In solidarity,
Sarah Lasoye (she/her)
Transforming Peace & Security Campaigner, Medact