An Open Letter to Donald Trump
Dear Mr. President,
My name is Bryan Ferretti and I am a ninth grade student. I would like to bring this towards your attention. In our English class, we have been examining the topic of war and the devastating effects it has during and after. We have been referencing to many different articles about war and people’s experiences and research to it. We have read fictional and non-fictional stories that tie together with the topic of with war. One issue that came to my mind while we have been paying our attention to the topic of war is nuclear power and warfare. I would like to talk about nuclear weapons and how they are damaging both the environment, and spending large amounts of money. The 1944 bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima was something that the U.S. did in order to protect it’s soldiers and was something we should never have to conclude to again. But, since then, the United States has manufactured over 70,000 nuclear warheads. This adds up to about 8.90 trillion dollars for the warheads, aircraft, command centers, maintenance, and waste management. The United States currently has over 6,800 warheads. Of those, 4,480 are in the stockpile which are still commissioned. This leaves 2,320 retired warheads that are waiting to be disarmed and dismantled.
Since the beginning of the nuclear tests on July 16, 1945, there have been 1,054 detonations. Most occurring at the Nevada Test site in Nye county with 928 nuclear tests. According to “The Arms Control Association”, “Through nuclear test explosions, the testing nations have been able to proof-test new warhead designs and create increasingly sophisticated nuclear weapons.” Along with testing beginning in 1945, there have been 56 nuclear accidents in the U.S’s. history. These test were faults regarding the fuel rods melting, or flaws within the detonating systems. With these accidents, the warheads release massive amounts of radiation along with extreme heat and light energy. These combined kill many people within the blast radius which depends on the warhead. A typical one megaton airburst warhead can kill a person within 3 kilometers of the blast point. There is a 50% chance of death if you stand 8 kilometers out. With all these nuclear weapons, there could be a massive devastation and the costs of rebuilding and decontaminating the toxic radiation, could be devastating as well. The United States should not manufacture nuclear warheads unless in a war with another powerful country and we should revise a plan to manufacture and detonate these weapons. Nuclear Files has an article on effects on environment from nuclear warfare. Their article states, “For example, a regional nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan could create a smoke layer around the planet that would block out 10% of the incoming sunlight; we could see the coldest temperatures in over 1000 years.” This is a small minority of the world’s nuclear power. But if we, the United States, engage in a war where these nuclear warheads will do the damage but will do a lot of damage to the environment. While some may say, if we uphold these warheads, countries will be afraid of us and leave us alone. While this is a valid and true argument, the United States already has that power and there is no use in manufacturing thousands of warheads. The United States’ Swords Of Armageddon is a document about the Nuclear Developments Program since 1945. This is the only document available to the public with regards to the nuclear tests and design of nuclear warheads. Chuck Hansen is the author of this document of nuclear power. He collected 30 years of declassified data and information in order to compile this document. Chuck Hansen states, “By the end of 1992, the U.S. had detonated more than 1,000 nuclear explosions on the surface of the earth, underground, underwater, in the atmosphere, and in space over and under the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and in several states in the continental U.S.” Chuck Hansen wrote to inform the people of the United States about our weapons. These weapons are extremely dangerous and can lead to global climate disaster. In order to secure our environment and protect it, we need to abolish manufacturing nuclear warheads because the United States needs to protect both the the environment and security of our country. The only variation with manufacturing nuclear power should only be a resolve to another powerful country that contains similar destructive power. Security within our country is important because if there ever was a nuclear fallout, it could damage our country and our environment weakening our global security.
The United States should continue to not test warheads unless for a proper reason. If a nuclear war broke out, scientists say the nukes would release around 700 million tons of carbon dioxide. This combines for 54 percent of the world’s carbon emission. With an additional spike of 700 million ton of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse effect could rise to devastating levels. With an additional raise in carbon dioxide, global warming would spike increasingly until the environment would become unstable and unsuitable for humans. While some may say that nuclear power is something we have under control and we have the technology to use it properly, it depends on our president and if he is willing to not use nuclear weapons as a conclusion. The New Yorker wrote an article about Trump’s warning to North Korea involving nuclear weapons. The article states, “Although part of an annual exercise, the maneuvers involved an unusually fearsome array of American warplanes, including B1-B Lancer bombers and the largest deployment of stealth aircraft to South Korea, F-35 Lightning II fighters and F-22 Raptors.” The President is using our nuclear warheads as a sign to scare North Korea. This proves a great threat because if a nuclear war broke out, we wouldn’t wipe out the countries; we would wipe out a quantity of the environment, citizens, and the climate. The United States should not resolve to test nuclear warheads unless shown great power by an enemy.
I would like to propose a solution: The United States should revise to plan of manufacturing and testing nuclear warheads. This plan could include a blueprint plan if the U.S. ever engaged in a war with another with similar weapons technology. The United States is already in debt and we should consider saving test and production for when we need them. In order to understand the global impacts of nuclear warfare, I believe it is best to design and create a process that protects both the U.S. and the environment through nuclear weapons. There should be a balance between protecting our country and protecting the environment. I hope this letter gave some concrete understanding of how nuclear weapons can damage the environment and why we should revise a lane in case we need these weapons.
Sincerely,
Bryan Ferretti
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