International efforts to reduce the increasing danger of nuclear weapons

Physicists have been concerned about nuclear weapons since the earliest days of their development. Recently, a renewed grassroots effort has emerged, to organize members of our field from around the world to educate the public and policy makers about the increasing dangers of these weapons and to advocate for policies that reduce those dangers. I will report on a workshop [1] that took place in October 2023 at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, which convened approximately 45 physicists from 15 nations, focused on the question “How can physicists help reduce the nuclear threat?” I’ll describe some of the main themes and takeaways of the workshop, which included new technical developments related to nuclear weapons, the state of physicists’ engagement in various nations, ethical questions about weapons related work, how to communicate with the public and students, and how we can organize local, national and international efforts. Physicists in the United States have unique privileges, responsibilities and opportunities for engaging with these issues.

[1] https://www.ictp.it/news/2023/10/engaging-physicists-nuclear-disarmament