Weapons of Mass Destruction
PUBLIC OUTREACH AND INFORMATION CENTERS IN RUSSIA
Kambarka has a population of 13,000 and is located in the Udmurt Republic. The chemical weapons destruction facility is currently in operation, neutralizing the 6,400 tons of Lewisite that make up its stockpile. The Green Cross POIO first opened in Kambarka in January 2003.
POIO ACTIVITIES:
- Maintains information stands throughout the city
- Creates dialogue with municipal and regional administrators, military representatives, and finance ministers concerning the chemical weapons destruction program, and how it pertains to local citizens and infrastructure
- Lectures to school groups, teachers, and librarians about the chemical weapons destruction process and its environmental impacts;
- Participates in emergency preparedness training
Legacy News
Security and Sustainability Program Publishes Report on Military Energy Security
In the first six months of 2011, the US civilian power grid suffered 155 blackouts affecting an average of 83,000 people with 36 blackouts affecting over 100,000 people. Despite these staggering numbers, US military bases rely solely on the civilian grid to power 99% of their war fighting capabilities, homeland security missions, and rescue and relief operations. This paper analyzes the Department of Defense’s current efforts to increase energy efficiency and assurance and makes recommendations on the policy options available to the DOD to increase the incorporation of smart microgrids onto its military installations. Learn More
Mikhail Gorbachev Writes about the 25th Anniversary of Reykjavik
US President John F. Kennedy once warned that “every man, woman, and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment.” For more than 50 years, humanity has warily eyed that lethal pendulum while statesmen debated how to mend its fraying cords. The example of Reykjavik should remind us that palliative measures are not enough. Our efforts 25 years ago can be vindicated only when the Bomb ends up beside the slave trader’s manacles and the Great War’s mustard gas in the museum of bygone savagery. Learn More
MARINA VORONOVA-ABRAMS PUBLISHES ARTICLE ON BIOSECURITY THREATS IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
For the past 20 years the international community concentrated its biological nonproliferation programs in the former Soviet Union. As a result, most of the Soviet bio-warfare infrastructure has dissolved; pathogen collections are in secure storage; scientists have engaged in peaceful cooperative research; and local disease surveillance capabilities have improved. Major international donors have recently begun shifting their biological threat reduction efforts to countries in Africa and Asia to address growing threats of terrorism and disease there. While there are good reasons for a shift in geographical focus, the international community should not ignore the remaining challenges in the former Soviet Union—such as training a new generation of specialists, strengthening personnel policies to prevent “insider” threats, and improving transparency and multilateral communication. With continued support, scientists from the former Soviet countries can make valuable contributions to nonproliferation and public health programs worldwide. Learn More
Global Green USA Speaks at Non-Proliferation Roundtable in Italy
Paul Walker, the director of the Global Green USA Security and Sustainability Program, attended a working roundtable meeting on Monday, June 20, 2011 hosted by The International Working Group, organized by the Landau Network Centro Volta in Como, Italy. The title of the event was “Science Collaboration and Security: A New Global Outreach to Key Actors.” Some three dozen experts from twelve countries, including Canada, China, India, Italy, Pakistan, Russia, and the U.S., discussed the CBRN (chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear) threat today and efforts to address the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
MARINA VORONOVA-ABRAMS SPEAKS AT MEETING ON SECURITY AND SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
Marina Voronova-Abrams
Program Associate, Global Green USA
February 11, 2011
Synthetic Biology: Perceptions of the Environmental and Security Communities
Marina Voronova-Abrams spoke today at the meeting “Synthetic Biology: New or Existing Risk? Impressions of the Presidential Commission on the Study of Bioethical Issues Synthetic Biology Recommendations,” organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Full text of the speech linked below.
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ENERGY FUTURES SEMINAR:
Washington, DC (June 8, 2011) – Global Green USA’s Washington office hosted the a seminar on “The Economics of Nuclear Power,” the fourth of its ongoing series, “Energy Futures: Nuclear Power, Global Warning, and Nonproliferation.” The program featured talks by Benjamin Schreiber, a Climate and Energy Tax Analyst at Friends of the Earth, and Michele Boyd, the Director of the Safe Energy Program at Physicians for Social Responsibility. For videos of the event visit the Global Green YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/GlobalGreen2008.
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Dr. Paul Walker Chairs Panel at Global Efforts in WMD Threat Reduction Event at the Canadian Embassy
On Friday, March 11, 2011 the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, in cooperation with the Fissile Materials Working Group (FMWG), hosted an off-the record, day-long event; “Global Efforts in WMD Threat Reduction: Perspectives on the Nuclear Security Summit and G-8 Global Partnership.” Learn More
GLOBAL GREEN USA CHAIRS COALITION MEETING IN THE HAGUE IN SUPPORT OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
WASHINGTON DC, April 25, 2011 – Global Green USA chaired the second general session of the CWC Coalition at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, the Netherlands, on April 13, 2011. The day-long meeting brought together representatives from 19 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, West and East Europe, and the Americas, with participation by interested delegates from six States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. Learn More
Energy Futures: Nuclear Power, Global Warming, and Nonproliferation
The Global Green USA Security and Sustainability Program is launching a Seminar Series titled “Energy Futures: Nuclear Power, Global Warming, and Nonproliferation.” As lobbying by the nuclear industry increases in the United States and Washington DC and the press posits a “nuclear renaissance” for commercial nuclear power, it is important that the environmental, economic, and security aspects of nuclear power be closely and objectively examined and more fully understood. Learn More
Green Cross Speaks on Chernobyl
Dr. Stephan Robinson, Green Cross Switzerland was quoted on March 19 in New York Times article “Lessons From Chernobyl for Japan,” written by Ellen Barry.
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Fighting in Libya Disrupted a Sensitive U.S. Government Program
The fighting in Libya has disrupted a sensitive U.S. government program to keep about 700 former nuclear and chemical weapons experts busy on civilian projects in the medical and petroleum industries there and prevent them from selling their dangerous knowledge in other countries, The Associated Press has learned.
The only unconventional weapons known to remain in Libya are 10-12 metric tons of mustard gas, a blistering agent, in storage at a site south of Tripoli, said Paul Walker of Global Green USA of Santa Monica, Calif., a charity whose parent organization was founded by Mikhail S. Gorbachev and supports eliminating such weapons. Learn More
Gorbachev Writes on the 25th Anniversary of Chernobyl
The founder of Green Cross International and its US affiliate, Global Green USA, writes in
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
that the catastrophic meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine on April 26, 1986 offers many important lessons for the future of sustainable energy production today. Learn More
Letter urging Senate to reverse cuts in nuclear nonproliferation budgets
We urge the Senate to reverse the cuts to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) nuclear nonproliferation budget that were made by the House of Representatives in its new continuing resolution (CR). That bill cuts critical nuclear terrorism prevention programs by 22% (more than $600 million) below the Fiscal Year 2011 request. These programs are vital to reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism. Learn More
Experts Urge Congress to Fully Fund Nuclear Security Efforts
Funds key to securing material that could be used for nuclear terrorism
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Congress Must Restore Nuclear Security Funds
Cuts in Lame Duck Session Weaken Fight Against Nuclear Terrorism Learn More
Global Green Applauds START Ratification
The recent atification by a vote of 71-26 in the US Senate of the bilateral New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the United States marks an historic step forward in the global elimination of nuclear weapons. Learn More
GLOBAL GREEN CONTRIBUTES TO PASSAGE OF UN SEA-DUMPED CHEMICAL MUNITIONS RESOLUTION
Global Green USA's efforts to promote awareness of sea-dumped chemical weapons pay off as the UN passes a much-needed resolution on the matter. Learn More
GLOBAL GREEN USA URGES US SENATE TO RATIFY NUCLEAR TREATY IN LAME DUCK SESSION
Global Green USA signed a letter to three U.S. Senators, stressing the urgent need to ratify the New START agreement between the U.S. and Russia during the lame duck session of the 111th Congress. Learn More
GLOBAL GREEN USA AMONG NUCLEAR SECURITY EXPERTS URGING CONGRESS TO FULLY FUND NONPROLIFERATION PROGRAM
A number of prominent nonproliferation experts have called on Congress to fully fund programs vital to American national security. This letter to Congress highlights the danger of not fully funding programs to secure the world's loose nuclear material. Learn More
ORBIT Forum in Moldova Draws Attention to Biosecurity in Eastern Europe
The Trilateral (US-Romania-Moldova) Civilian-Military Forum on Outbreak Response and Bioterrorism Investigation (ORBIT Forum), was held in Chisinau, in the Republic of Moldova, October 19-21, 2010.
Click Learn More for a summary of the event. Learn More
Gorbachev Calls For Abolition of Nuclear Weapons and Ratification of the New START Treaty
Mikhail Gorbachev, in a speech to the 11th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, calls for rapid movement away from nuclear weapons as instruments of state policy. Learn More
Kazakhstan Secures Its Soviet Nuclear Waste Legacy
Kazakhstan safely transfered 100 tons of high level radioactive waste left over from the Cold War to a secure storage facility in northeast Kazakhstan. Learn More
GLOBAL GREEN USA SPEAKS AT UNITED NATIONS
November 11 -- The Lithuanian Mission to the United Nations organized a discussion before the UN Second Committee on Thursday, November 11, 2010, to discuss a draft resolution on sea-dumped chemical weapons. Dr. Paul F. Walker, director of the Security and Sustainability Program at Global Green USA, and Dr. Terrance Long, an international expert on sea-dumped munitions, were both introduced by Lithuanian Ambassador Dalius Cekuolis and the session was chaired by Mr. Tory Torrington from the Mission of Guyana.
GLOBAL GREEN'S PAUL WALKER FEATURED IN ARMS CONTROL TODAY
November 18, 2010-- Dr. Paul Walker, Director of the Security and Sustainability Program, wrote a feature article for the November edition of Arms Control Today. Dr. Walker explains the progress that has been achieved in destroying chemical weapons stockpiles to comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention and highlights the challenges that remain. Learn More
Security and Sustainability Program Hosts Seminar On Illicit Botulinum Toxin
Dr. Raymond Zilinskas gave a presentation on the security risks posed by illicit botulinum toxin producers and the Botox "look alike" products created from the toxin. Learn More
THE ULTIMATE NUCLEAR TEST
On Nov. 1, a team of 35 experts carried out an exercise to inspect a simulated nuclear test site near the Dead Sea in Jordan. This was a step forward in completing the global verification system of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Learn More
US ELIMINATES 80 PERCENT OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS ARSENAL
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. October 5, 2010. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON -- Only 20 percent of the U.S. arsenal of chemical warfare materials remains to be destroyed, the Army announced yesterday (see GSN, July 7). The service's Chemical Materials Agency said as of Sunday it had burned off or chemically neutralized 24,488 tons of chemical agents and eliminated more than 2.1 million munitions stored at seven installations. The United States held 31,500 tons of lethal substances such as mustard blister agent and the nerve agents sarin and VX when it ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997.
Photo from the U.S Army Chemical Materials Agency website. Learn More
US MILITARY ORDERS LESS DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS
October 5, 2010. NEW YORK TIMES. By Elizabeth Rosenthal. With insurgents increasingly attacking the American fuel supply convoys that lumber across the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan, the military is pushing aggressively to develop, test and deploy renewable energy to decrease its need to transport fossil fuels.
STATE DEPARTMENT RESHUFFLES ARMS CONTROL BUREAUS
October 4, 2010. WASHINGTON. "This reorganization acknowledges the high priority given by President Obama to the need to abolish nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons globally, including bilateral and multilateral verification regimes." according to Paul Walker, security and sustainability chief for the environmental organization Global Green USA. Learn More
GCI'S ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY & SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM
September 16, 2010 - Geneva, CH - Green Cross International’s Environmental Security and Sustainability programme was the focus of an event at the Environment House in Geneva on 16 September sponsored by the Geneva Environment Network. Global Green USA’s Director of the Programme, Dr. Paul Walker, was the keynote speaker at the event, where he discussed GCI’s experience in the last 15 years with weapons demilitarization and toxic waste remediation. Learn More
What are the outcomes of the BWC Experts’ Meeting?
This question was on the agenda yesterday in Washington D.C. during a discussion organized by Global Green USA’s Security and Sustainability Program. The 2010 annual Meeting of Experts for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC or BWC) was held in Geneva at the Palais des Nations from 23 to 27 August 2010. Through statements and presentations during plenary sessions and side events the delegations exchanged information and views on the 2010 Intersessional Topic and the forthcoming 2011 Review Conference. Global Green USA invited government agencies and non-governmental organizations that attended the Meeting of Experts to share their observations with the Washington D.C. community. Learn More
OPCW Director-General Has High-Level Meetings in Washington and Visits Blue Grass Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility
ORGANIZATION FOR THE PROHIBITION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS. SEPTEMBER 6, 2010.
The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, visited the United States from 30 August to 2 September where he met with senior U.S. officials in Washington D.C. and visited the chemical weapons storage depot and destruction facility in Blue Grass, Kentucky. Learn More
OPCW Chief Sees Chance to Promote Chemical Weapons Pact in Middle East
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. SEPTEMBER 7, 2010. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON -- An international declaration issued in May at a major nuclear nonproliferation event created a new opportunity to press Middle Eastern states to join the Chemical Weapons Convention, a top arms control official said last week (see GSN, July 28). Learn More
Better Oversight of Chemical Industry Sites Needed, Experts Say
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. AUGUST 13, 2010. By Rachel Oswald
WASHINGTON -- As the world’s declared state stockpiles of chemical warfare materials dwindle, the nonproliferation community is turning its focus to another concern -- a multitude of commercial plants that could be converted to produce weapon agents (see GSN April 10, 2008). Learn More
Leaked Documents Suggest Taliban Chemical Strike on U.S. Soldiers
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. JULY 27, 2010.
Information gleaned from this week's giant unauthorized release of tens of thousands of U.S. military documents suggest soldiers in Afghanistan might have been exposed to a chemical weapon, Wired magazine reported (see GSN, March 18). Learn More
GGUSA Joins Coalition in Support of Reducing Highly Enriched Uranium for Medical Isotopes.
AUSTIN, TX – July 20, 2010 - An unusual coalition of medical and national-security organizations today called on U.S. Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) to lift his “hold” that is blocking legislation to relieve shortages of vital medical isotopes and reduce risks of nuclear terrorism. Learn More
U.S. Reaches Chemical Weapons Disposal Milestone
Global Security Newswire. Wednesday, July 7, 2010. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army announced yesterday it had eliminated 75 percent of the nation's stockpile of chemical warfare materials and remained on track to meet the demilitarization deadline set by an international nonproliferation treaty (see GSN, June 21). Learn More
Russia to Miss Chemical Weapons Disposal Deadline
Global Security Newswire. Wednesday, June 30, 2010. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON -- Russia has acknowledged that it would not meet the deadline for complete elimination of its arsenal of chemical warfare materials, the head of the international organization that oversees the Chemical Weapons Convention announced yesterday. Learn More
Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons are a Rusting Time Bomb
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN D.C. (BLOG). MAY 17, 2010. By Allen Hengst
Global Green USA's Security and Sustainability Program continued discussing sea-dumped munitions, especially chemical weapons (CW) as part of its "Healing the Oceans" initiative. This roundtable gave a general introduction to the issue, describing the geography, quantities and potential health hazards. The session was particularly important in defining the context within which the more in-depth roundtables to follow will delve further into the primary geographic locations – the Baltic, the Pacific, including Hawaii, and the Mediterranean – and tackle legal, public health and possible mitigation issues. Learn More
The Pentagon’s Love-Hate Relationship With Clean Energy
National Defense Industrial Association Blog. MAY 20, 2010. By Sandra Erwin.
The Defense Department expects to remain quite busy fighting the nation’s wars. At home, it also plans to be hard at work feuding against a pesky enemy: Environmental encroachment. Learn More
Nuclear Terrorism Seen Overshadowing Other WMD Threats
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. APRIL 23, 2010.
Some proliferation analysts worry that U.S. President Barack Obama's high-profile effort to thwart a nuclear strike by a rogue actor is diverting attention from the more probable threats of chemical and biological terrorism, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. Learn More
Ukraine To Give Up Nuke Material; Boost For Summit
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. APRIL 12, 2010. By Robert Burns
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama optimistically opened a 47-nation nuclear summit Monday, boosted by Ukraine's announcement that it will give up its weapons-grade uranium. More sobering: The White House counterterror chief warned that al-Qaida is vigorously pursuing ingredients and expertise for a bomb.
At the same time, Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao sought agreement on potential sanctions to discourage Iran's efforts to come up with its own nuclear weapon. Learn More
Obama Secures 47-Nation Pact At Nuclear Summit
THE WASHINGTON POST. APRIL 14, 2010. By Mary Beth Sheridan
President Obama persuaded 46 countries Tuesday to sign on to a plan to put the world's nuclear material beyond the reach of terrorists within four years, but the commitments are voluntary, and experts said reaching the goal will be difficult.
The governments attending Obama's Nuclear Security Summit agreed to take their own measures to safeguard nuclear material used in bombs, civilian nuclear reactors and power plants, and to strengthen international efforts. The gathering raised the profile of an issue long considered a sideshow in discussions of international security. Learn More
NGOs Praise U.S. Leadership on Nukes
INTER PRESS SERVICE. APRIL 12, 2010. By Matthew Berger and Eli CliftonWASHINGTON, Apr 12, 2010 (IPS) - One of the largest gatherings of world leaders ever on U.S. soil began Monday with representatives of 47 countries gathering here for the Nuclear Security Summit.
The two-day event is organised around the goal of keeping nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists. Representatives of NGOs, along with experts from academia, held a parallel summit on the same topic several blocks away. Learn More
The Nuclear Security Summit
THE NEW YORK TIMES. APRIL 11, 2010. Editorial.
After 9/11, the world was forced to contemplate an even more terrifying nightmare: the possibility that terrorists could buy or steal a nuclear weapon. Far too little has been done since to head that off.
The vulnerabilities run from thousands of poorly secured short-range nuclear weapons in Russia to poorly guarded nuclear reactors or fuel storage sites in far too many states. There are no mandatory, international security standards for nuclear facilities or for hospitals whose radioactive waste could be used in dirty bombs.
On Monday, President Obama holds a summit meeting in Washington to address these dangers. His very ambitious target is to secure all weapons-useable nuclear material within four years. Learn More
Obama Limits When U.S. Would Use Nuclear Arms
THE NEW YORK TIMES. APRIL 5, 2010. By David E. Sanger and Peter Baker
WASHINGTON — President Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons.
But the president said in an interview that he was carving out an exception for “outliers like Iran and North Korea” that have violated or renounced the main treaty to halt nuclear proliferation. Learn More
Preventing Nuclear Terrorism
BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS. MARCH 30, 2010. By The Fissile Materials Working Group
The television drama 24 is currently portraying one of the most frightening and dangerous terrorist scenarios possible--an anti-American terrorist group with radioactive fissile materials intent on detonating a "dirty bomb" in New York City to render it uninhabitable for decades to come. Jack Bauer, the show's intrepid hero, is trying to track down the terrorists and capture the fissile materials before the terrorists have a chance to blow them up. Although television dramas often engage in hyperbole, the basic theme of this terrorist scenario is very real. Learn More
Navy and Marines Aim for a Leaner, Greener Fighting Machine
THE NEW YORK TIMES. MARCH 25, 2010. By Lauren Morello of ClimateWire
LAUREL, Md. -- Going green and renewable doesn't just save money, it may save lives of U.S. soldiers, according to military leaders who argue that a push for energy efficiency and a move away from fossil-based fuels could strengthen America's military.
"Every dollar spent on gasoline is a dollar that could be better spent on armor, or artillery, or machinery," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said, speaking here at a conference at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. Learn More
U.S., Russia Reach Agreement On Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty
THE WASHINGTON POST. MARCH 26, 2010. By Michael D. Shear
President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sealed a new nuclear arms reduction treaty during a phone call this morning, committing the two nations to a significant new reduction of the strategic missiles each side has deployed, U.S. officials announced Friday.
Flanked by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Obama announced the agreement to reporters at the White House, calling it a historic step toward a world without nuclear weapons. Learn More
Global Green Links Water Quality to Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons
GLOBAL GREEN USA. MARCH 22, 2010. By Finn Longinotto
Today is World Water Day with the focus this year on raising the profile of water quality at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside those of water quantity. The focus, however, is more on drinking water but the pollution in oceans should not be overlooked. As such, Global Green USA is working on the issue of Sea-dumped Chemical Weapons, an important part of the larger problem of thousands of tons of weapons that have been dumped into the world’s oceans over the years. Learn More
Iraq Faces Major Challenges in Destroying Its Legacy Chemical Weapons
CENTER FOR NONPROLIFERATION STUDIES. MARCH 4, 2010. By Jonathan B. Tucker
Iraq joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in February 2009 and now faces major challenges destroying the chemical munitions it inherited from the Saddam Hussein regime. Learn More
Activists Criticize Uncoordinated DOD Energy Measures, Seek Changes
DEFENSE ENVIRONMENT ALERT. MARCH 2, 2010. By Suzanne Yohannan
A new report from the environmental group Global Green USA is recommending the Defense Department undertake a high-level coordinated effort to expand its use of renewable energy, prioritize energy efficiency at its forward operating bases and adopt fuel efficiencies in its tactical systems, in order to reverse what it says is the department’s approach of talking about moving towards energy efficiency but not acting. Learn More
Implications of a Global Black Market for Botox
WAMU 88.5 FM. JANUARY 27, 2010.
One of the world's deadliest poisons is the key ingredient in the popular anti-aging drug, Botox. The emerging global black market for Botox and growing concerns the toxin in the drug could be used in a bioterrorism attack. Learn More
Last Two U.S. Chemical Weapons Disposal Sites Funded at $550M
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. JANUARY 26, 2010. By Rachel Oswald
WASHINGTON -- Funding for preparation of the last two U.S. installations set to begin destruction of their chemical weapon stockpiles received a significant boost in the fiscal 2010 budget -- roughly 30 percent over last year's allowance. Learn More
New Coalition Aims to Promote Chemical Weapons Disarmament, Nonproliferation
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. JANUARY 22, 2010. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON -- Dozens of nongovernmental organizations from around the world are forming an umbrella group to help promote the total elimination of chemical weapons and prevent their use by terrorists. Learn More
Officials fear toxic ingredient in Botox could become terrorist tool
THE WASHINGTON POST. JANUARY 25, 2010. By Joby Warrick
In early 2006, a mysterious cosmetics trader named Rakhman began showing up at salons in St. Petersburg, Russia, hawking a popular anti-aging drug at suspiciously low prices. He flashed a briefcase filled with vials and promised he could deliver more -- "as many as you want," he told buyers -- from a supplier somewhere in Chechnya.
Rakhman's "Botox" was found to be a potent clone of the real thing, but investigators soon turned to a far bigger worry: the prospect of an illegal factory in Chechnya churning out raw botulinum toxin, the key ingredient in the beauty drug and one of world's deadliest poisons. A speck of toxin smaller than a grain of sand can kill a 150-pound adult. Learn More
Now Clear Away the Rubble of the Wall
THE NEW YORK TIMES. NOVEMBER 2, 2009. By Mikhail Gorbachev
The year 1989 was a turning point for Europe and for the world, a time when history went into high gear. This acceleration was symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the velvet revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes were exiting the stage of history. Learn More
Pipeline Renews Debate on Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons
IPSNEWS.NET. OCTOBER 20, 2009. By Matthew Berger
WASHINGTON, Oct 20 (IPS) - On Sep. 24, a beachgoer near Swansea, Wales reported a piece of military equipment washed up on the shore. Three days later, the two members of the team that had showed up to dispose of the shell developed symptoms compatible with mustard gas – a chemical warfare agent used in the two world wars and other conflicts. Learn More
Two First Steps on Nuclear Weapons
THE NEW YORK TIMES. SEPT 25, 2009. By Mikhail Gorbachev
YESTERDAY, President Obama presided over the United Nations Security Council meeting that passed a resolution seeking to strengthen the international commitment to limiting the spread of nuclear weapons. A week ago, he announced that the United States will not deploy — at least, not in the foreseeable future — a missile defense site in Central Europe, including powerful radar in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland.
Is there a link between the two events? I believe there is. Yet initial comments by many political figures and journalists have for the most part ignored this key relationship. Learn More
Nongovernmental Experts Urge Action on Nuclear Weapons Test Ban Treaty
September 23, 2009. Global Green has joined a diverse set of nongovernmental nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament leaders, as well as former government officials and diplomats, urging key governments to ratify the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and bring it into force. Learn More
Clock ticks down on a deadly chemical stockpile
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. AUGUST 23, 2009. By Bob Drogin
Efforts have been stepped up at the Blue Grass Army Depot to wipe out the last of the U.S. chemical weapons' stockpile. But disposal isn't expected to be completed until 2021, well past deadlines. Learn More
Russia Restricts Transparency at Major Chemical Weapons Site, Group Says
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. AUGUST 14, 2009. By Martin Matishak
WASHINGTON -- Russia recently forced an international nonprofit organization to close offices intended to ensure transparency in the operations of one of the country's largest chemical weapons destruction sites (see GSN, July 22).
Some worry that the June 30 shuttering of three Green Cross International offices devoted to community outreach at the chemical stockpile facility and associated demilitarization plant might be an attempt to minimize oversight as Russia accelerates operations to meet the 2012 disarmament deadline set by the Chemical Weapons Convention. Learn More
Global Green USA calls for major nuclear weapons reductions
Washington, DC. August 6, 2009. Global Green USA joined with a dozen other NGOs in drafting a letter to President Barack Obama on August 4, 2009 urging him to reduce nuclear weapons far below today's levels. Learn More
Continued Commitment Needed on U.S. Chemical Disarmament, OPCW Chief Says
GLOBAL SECURITY NEWSWIRE. JULY 22, 2009. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON -- A leading international nonproliferation official is urging the United States not to retreat from providing sufficient funds to accelerate the complete elimination of the U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons (see GSN, May 6). Learn More
Dr. Piers Millet Speaks at a BWC Roundtable Discussion
Washington, D.C. – July 9, 2009 – On Wednesday afternoon, July 8, 2009, Global Green USA partnered with the New America Foundation to host Dr. Piers Millet in a discussion entitled, "Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention." Piers Millet is one of three experts from the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit in Geneva, Switzerland, and spent time in Washington, D.C. in order to discuss the opportunity and necessity of better implementation strategies for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). His discussion regarding the BWC was flanked by dialogue with Dr. Paul Walker, Director of Global Green USA's Security & Sustainability Program, as well as the words of the New America Foundation's own Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, Director of the Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation Initiative. Learn More
Global Green USA Hosts OPCW Director-General Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter in Washington DC
Washington, DC – June 19 – For the third consecutive year, Global Green USA was pleased to host Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the implementing agency for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in The Hague, in Washington DC for a series of high-level meetings and presentations. Ambassador Pfirter holds the title of Career Diplomat from Argentina, and prior to his appointment as Director-General in 2002, he served as Director of Nuclear and Security Affairs for the Argentine Foreign Service, Under-Secretary for Foreign Policy, and Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Learn More
Shchuch’ye Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility Opening
On May 29, 2009 the Russian Federation formally opened its new chemical weapons destruction (CWD) facility in the Kurgan Oblast, just north of Kazakhstan and just east of the Ural Mountain Range. Located near the Trans-Ural village of Shchuch’ye (pronounced “shoo-che”), the chemical weapons stockpile which will be neutralized and destroyed over the next several years is one of seven CW stockpiles declared by Russia under auspices of the international Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Learn More
Disarmament lessons from the Chemical Weapons Convention
BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS. JUNE 16, 2009.
The recent joint declaration by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to negotiate a new treaty reducing their countries' nuclear stockpiles as a first step toward "a nuclear-weapon-free world" has spurred hopes for renewed progress in global disarmament after a decade of gridlock. An excellent example of how nations can work together effectively within a multilateral framework to eliminate weapons of mass destruction is the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Learn More
In Siberia, the Death Knell of a Complex Holding a Deadly Stockpile
THE NEW YORK TIMES. MAY 26, 2009. By Clifford J. Levy
MOSCOW — Soon after the Soviet Union’s collapse, an American inspection team arrived at a decrepit storage complex in Siberia. The front gate was guarded by a scrawny teenage soldier who had not been paid in months. Giant sheds seemed to hold little of value. Why else would their doors be secured only with rusty bicycle locks? The reality was far more disturbing: the sheds contained two million artillery shells and warheads filled with nerve agents, extremely deadly substances, row after row, stacked like cordwood. Many were portable, and a single one detonated in a stadium or other crowded area could kill tens of thousands of people. Learn More
Washington DC City Council Hearing on Chemical Weapons
Global Green USA testified before the Washington D.C. City Council on May 11, 2009 regarding the cleanup of dumped chemical weapons in Northwest Washington, an area known as “Spring Valley.” Ward 3 Council Member Mary Cheh, Chairperson of the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, questioned fourteen witnesses on public health and environmental impacts from the post-World War I burial of chemical weapons, agents, and other toxic materials in the 661-acre area in Northwest Washington. Learn More
Weapons of Mass Destruction and Public Health
Global Green USA organized a plenary session at the 12th World Congress on Public Health in Istanbul, Turkey on April 28, 2009 on “Weapons of Mass Destruction and Public Health.” Chaired by Dr. Paul Walker, Director of the Security and Sustainability Program at Global Green USA, the session was introduced by Dr. Hikmet Pekcan, President of the Turkish Public Health Association which hosted the meeting of some 2,400 health officials from 142 countries. The plenary speakers were Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague; Ambassador Tibor Toth, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna; and Richard Lennane, Head of the Implementation Support Unit of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) in Geneva. Learn More
Getting chemical weapons destruction back on track
BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTISTS. APRIL 15, 2009. By Jonathan B. Tucker & Paul F. Walker
One of the many arms-control challenges facing the Obama administration is to revitalize the sagging effort to destroy the vast U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons left over from the Cold War. A new U.S. Army report, to be released in May along with the Pentagon's 2010 budget request, will likely conclude that without additional funding, the elimination of these obsolete and dangerous weapons could drag on for another 15 years.
Learn MoreMikhail Gorbachev meets with US Senator Richard Lugar to Discuss Elimination of Weapons of Mass Destruction
March 19, 2009. The founder of Green Cross International, Mikhail Gorbachev, met on Thursday, March 19, 2009 in Washington DC with the ranking Republican Senator of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar, of Indiana. Learn More
Cooperative Threat Reduction Programs Should Be Upgraded
March 6, 2009: Global Green is cited in a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council. The report discusses the need to reformulate U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction programs to focus on combating international terrorism and other current threats. Learn More
New Russian Chemical Weapons Site Begins Operations
Global Security Newswire. Friday, March 6, 2009.
Russia has begun to operate a U.S.-backed chemical weapons disposal facility near the Ural Mountains, the environmental organization Global Green USA announced yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 3, 2008). Learn More
U.S. Boosts Funding for Last Two CW Disposal Sites
Global Security Newswire. Nov 6, 2008. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department has received its highest-ever budget for preparing two chemical weapons disposal sites that hold the key to meeting the congressional demand to eliminate the entire U.S. stockpile by 2017. Learn More
South Korea Completes Destruction of Its Chemical Weapons Stockpile
Environmental News Service. October 17, 2008.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - In a step towards the global elimination of chemical weapons, South Korea has become the second country to destroy its declared chemical weapons stockpile. The country beat its December 31, 2008 deadline by at least three months. Learn More
Abolishing Chemical Weapons Globally: Successes and Challenges - An NGO Perspective
OPCW. September 24, 2008. By: Dr Paul F. Walker, Legacy Program Director, Global Green USA
The successful, verified elimination of some 40% of the six declared chemical weapons stockpiles in the first 11 years of the Chemical Weapons Convention represents a major achievement for the treaty regime and its implementing body, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The primary goal of the Convention – the total elimination of existing chemical weapons stockpiles – is well on the way to being met in the foreseeable future. Learn More
What I've Learned: Mikhail Gorbachev
ESQUIRE. Sept 10, 2008. By Cal Fussman
That Louis Vuitton ad? The proceeds go to Green Cross International and its American counterpart, Global Green. Also, I travel a lot, and a good bag comes in handy.
Look at what happened in New Orleans. Look at how big the blow was and how difficult the consequences are in dealing with such a blow. Imagine what would happen in a situation where nuclear weapons were used. Imagine the effect of the radiation. It's been years since the Chernobyl accident, and there are towns and villages where people do not live. The towns are still there. They haven't been torn down, but not a single person lives there. So this is a very serious matter--more than serious. Learn More
Hopeful Gorbachev receives Liberty Medal
Philadelphia Daily News, Sept. 19, 2008. By Stephanie Farr
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev accepted the 2008 Liberty Medal last night at the National Constitution Center after delivering a sharp rebuttal to remarks made earlier in the day by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Learn More
Russia opens 4th chemical weapons destruction plant
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE. June 17, 2008.
Russia opened a fourth plant Tuesday to destroy its chemical weapons stockpiles, which are the largest in the world. The destruction facility, located near the site of one of Russia's seven major chemical weapons arsenals, will help accelerate an ambitious effort to fully eliminate the stockpiles in less than four years. Learn More
Spring Valley Weapons Search to Continue
WASHINGTON POST. May 30, 2008.
The cleanup of World War I chemical weapons buried under the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest Washington could last three more years, as crews search for more shells and remove tainted soil, officials said yesterday.
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Publications
Military Energy Security: Current Efforts and Future Solutions
Military Energy Security: Current Efforts and Future Solutions
Daniel Sater
In the first six months of 2011, the US civilian power grid suffered 155 blackouts affecting an average of 83,000 people with 36 blackouts affecting over 100,000 people. Despite these staggering numbers, US military bases rely solely on the civilian grid to power 99% of their war fighting capabilities, homeland security missions, and rescue and relief operations. This paper analyzes the Department of Defense’s current efforts to increase energy efficiency and assurance and makes recommendations on the policy options available to the DOD to increase the incorporation of smart microgrids onto its military installations.
Daniel Sater was a Research Fellow at Global Green USA’s Security and Sustainability Office in Washington, DC in the summer of 2011. He is a graduate student at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Daniel holds a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and will receive his Master of Public Policy degree in May 2012.
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Abandoned Chemical Weapons in China: The Unresolved Japanese Legacy
Mike Brombach
This paper assesses the reasons for the slow progress in destroying Japanese abandoned chemical weapons in China. Japan abandoned an estimated 300,000 – 400,000 chemical weapons on the territory of China after WWII. Japan is obligated to destroy these weapons by 2012 under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) of 1997. The first chemical weapon in China was not destroyed until fall 2010 and as a result Japan and China are unlikely to meet the 2012 final CWC destruction deadline. The slow pace of progress and inability of Japan and China to meet the 2012 deadline for destruction of the declared chemical weapons are due to the complicated nature of the project along with technical problems, negotiation issues, and financial and diplomatic difficulties.
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