Implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Hopes and Expectations for the Future

Abstract

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on 22 January 2021. What can be expected in the years following (TPNW)? In the first few years, we can expect that states parties will start to implement the treaty's positive obligations, and that entities within states outside the treaty will begin to adhere to the new norm set by the treaty. Within the next decade, we can anticipate additional engagement with the treaty from outside states, including weapons possessors, and changes in their weapon policies to more closely adhere to the treaty. Over time, states outside the treaty are expected to sign and ratify the TPNW as the norm grows and the treaty approaches universalisation.

Militarization of NATO countries sparks climate change? Investigating the moderating role of technological progress and financial development

“…Another significant factor that endangers both human life and the environment is nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons have a substantially more detrimental effect on soil and water than fossil fuel pollution, even if they are not activated (Sanders-Zakre, 2020;Doolittle, 2003). Chemical explosions involving fissile elements such as radioactive materials in nuclear programs, studies, and tests, as well as the approaching of radioactive materials to critical levels, result in ionizing radiation and increased environmental harm (Bolton and Minor, 2021).…”