An online petition since December 2021 has already been signed by more than fifty Nobel laureates. It is a call for a “World Dividend for Peace” which in practice implies that all member states of the United Nations agree to a common reduction of 2% of their annual military expenditure. Part of the money saved would go to a global fund to fight climate change, pandemics and extreme poverty.
In 2018, Futura relayed to you the call of 200 scientists and artists, catalyzed by the astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau, in the company of the actress Juliette Binoche, in order to make you aware of the urgency of changing the trajectory for Humanity. in the face of global warming and other ongoing ecological disasters.
This time, we have decided to relay the platform accompanied by a petition already signed by many Nobel Prize winners, such as Roger penrose, Giorgio ParisiWhere James peebles and other celebrities in mathematics, supported by the Dalai Lama, and who call for comprehensive negotiations towards a reduction in global military spending. As resources are dwindling for a growing Humanity and demanding an acceptable standard of living for all, it is clear that we would do better to start disengaging the crazy sums spent on the arms race and seriously lower the risks of conflict that only increases on the economic, climatic and ecological trajectory that we still pursue.
The petition can be signed by anyone.
The forum below is initiated and coordinated by two physicists theorists, Carlo Rovelli, whose Futura recently presented one of his latest works, and Matteo Smerlak.
” Global military spending has doubled since 2000. It is approaching 2,000 billion US dollars per year, and is increasing in all regions of the world. Governments suffer pressures to increase military spending because others are doing it. The feedback mechanism fuels a spiraling arms race – a colossal waste of resources that could be used much more wisely.
Arms races of the past have often had the same result: deadly and destructive conflicts. We have a simple proposal for Humanity: the governments of all UN member states should negotiate a joint reduction in their military spending of 2% per year for five years.
The rationale for the proposal is simple:
- Opposing nations reduce their military spending, increasing the security of each country, while deterrence and balance are preserved.
- The agreement helps reduce animosity, thereby lowering the risk of war.
- Vast resources – a “peace dividend” of up to $ 1,000 billion by 2030 – are being made available.
We propose that half of the resources freed up by this agreement be allocated to a global fund, under the supervision of the UN, to face the serious common problems of humanity: pandemics, climate change and extreme poverty.
The other half remains at the disposal of governments.
All countries will therefore have significant new resources. Some of them can be used to reorient the strong research capabilities of military industries towards applications peace groups that are urgently needed.
History shows that agreements to limit the proliferation of weapons are achievable: thanks to treaties SALT and START, the United States and the Soviet Union have reduced their nuclear arsenals by 90% since the 1980s. Such negotiations can succeed because they are rational: each actor benefits from the reduction in the armaments of his adversaries, and Humanity as a whole too. Humanity faces risks which can only be avoided through cooperation. Let’s cooperate, instead of fighting each other “.
- Hiroshi Amano (Nobel de physical)
- Peter Agre (Nobel de chemistry)
- David Baltimore (Nobel Physiology or Medicine)
- Barry C. Barish (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Martin L. Chalfie (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Steven Chu (Nobel Prize for Physics and former US Secretary forenergy)
- Robert F. Curl Jr. (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Johann Deisenhofer (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Jacques Dubochet (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Gerhard Ertl (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Joachim Frank (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Sir Andre K. Geim (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Sheldon L. Glashow (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Carol Greider (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Harald zur Hausen (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Dudley R. Herschbach (Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
- Avram Hershko (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Roald Hoffmann (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Robert Huber (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Louis J. Ignarro (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Brian Josephson (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Takaaki Kajita (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Tawakkol Karman (Nobel Peace Prize)
- Brian K. Kobilka (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Roger D. Kornberg (Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
- Yuan T. Lee (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- Jean-Marie Lehn (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- John C. Mather (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Eric S. Maskin (Nobel Prize for Economics)
- May-Britt Moser (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Edvard I. Moser (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Erwin Neher (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Sir Paul Nurse (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine and Past President, Royal Society)
- Giorgio Parisi (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Jim Peebles (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Sir Roger penrose (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Edmund S. Phelps (Nobel Prize in Economics)
- John C. Polanyi (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
- H. David Politzer (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Sir Venki Ramakrishnan (Nobel Prize for Chemistry and Former President, Royal Society)
- Sir Peter Ratcliffe (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Sir Richard J. Roberts (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Michael Rosbash (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Carlo Rubbia (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Randy W. Schekman (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Gregg Semenza (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Robert J. Shiller (Nobel Prize for Economics)
- Stephen Smale (Fields Medal)
- Sir Fraser Stoddart (Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
- Horst L. Störmer (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Thomas C. Südhof (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Jack W. Szostak (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
- Olga Tokarczuk (Nobel Prize for Literature)
- Srinivasa SR Varadhan (Abel Prize)
- Sir John E. Walker (Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
- Torsten Wiesel (Nobel Prize for Medicine)
- Mohamed HA Hassan (President, World Academy of Sciences)
- Annibale Mottana (President, Italian National Academy of Sciences)
- Roberto Antonelli (President, Italian Lincean Academy)
- Patrick Flandrin (President, French Academy of Sciences)
- Anton Zeilinger (President, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
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