Issues: Nuclear Weapons, Waste & Energy

In Brief Articles

Estimates of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile, 2007 and 2012
Fact Sheet

This fact sheet, which challenges the U.S. government’s secrecy over the size of its nuclear weapons stockpile and the number of dismantled nuclear weapons, estimates that the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile currently includes approximately 9,930 nuclear warheads, and that the stockpile will decline to about 5,040 by the end of 2012.

The Bush Administration's Stockpile Reduction Plan: Too Many, Too Slow
Fact Sheet

The recent announcement by the Bush administration to significantly reduce the U.S. nuclear weapon stockpile is a welcome and positive step, but there are several caveats that warrant further discussion. An NRDC analysis of the proposal found it lacking for two main reasons: It will still leave approximately 6,000 nuclear weapons in the U.S. stockpile, and it will take eight years to accomplish.

Snapshots from the U.S. Nuclear War Plan
Photo Album

These maps, diagrams and charts -- produced by NRDC's nuclear war plans project -- offer a snapshot of what a nuclear attack on Russia would look like under the top-secret U.S. nuclear war plan, with target locations, fallout clouds, and fatalities. They drive home the grotesque results that would occur if nuclear weapons were used; common sense demands the abolition of the current plan in favor of a "saner" plan that rests on different assumptions, with far fewer warheads.

Exposing the U.S. Nuclear War Plan
News

The Cold War is over -- so why does the United States still aim thousands of nuclear warheads at Russia? The answer lies in the top-secret U.S. nuclear war plan. This article is a user-friendly overview of a June 2001 report from NRDC's nuclear program that exposes the long-hidden assumptions that underlie the war plan, and calls for new thinking that can bring deeper nuclear arms reductions and a safer global future.

Scientists' and Engineers' Pledge To Renounce Weapons of Mass Destruction
Fact Sheet

If you're a scientist or an engineer (or studying to be one), sign the Scientists' and Engineers' Pledge to Renounce Weapons of Mass Destruction.