Why are the United Nations against nuclear tests?

Today the United Nations celebrate the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. But why does this day exist? Is nuclear energy good or bad? What are the consequences? We’ll try to explain.

Nuclear weapon testing began in 1945, and so far nearly 2000 have taken place. While in the beginning people were not yet aware of the devastating effects nuclear tests have in human life, history has shown it to us.

Nuclear explosions can release high levels of radiation, which can damage DNA and remain in the atmosphere for decades, traveling great distances before it settles to the ground-level air or Earth’s surface.

In 2009, the United Nations agreed to start celebrating this day with the aim of educating people “about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.”

One of the most famous nuclear disasters was the explosion at the Chernobyl Power Plant in Ukraine, in 1986. It released 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Japan in WWII, killed 30 workers and forced about 300.000 residents to relocate. Recently, HBO released a series called Chernobyl, which goes through the event and its devastating consequences.

“It is the hope of the UN that one day all nuclear weapons will be eliminated. Until then, there is a need to observe International Day against Nuclear Tests as the world works towards promoting peace and security.”