TOKYO (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged nuclear-armed nations to stick to their pledge not to be the first to use their nuclear arsenals, warning that nuclear armaments will not be available amid rising international tensions. The competition has made a comeback.
“Now is the time… for the no-first-use principle that states with nuclear weapons are required to commit, to commit not to use and not to threaten non-nuclear states,” Guterres told a news conference in Tokyo as he visited Hiroshima to commemorate the victims. diva [OnAugust61945theatomicbombexploded[1945年8月6日，原子弹爆炸。
“I don’t think anyone, no one can accept the idea that a new nuclear war will happen. It will be the destruction of the planet,” Guterres said. “Obviously, if no one used it for the first time, then there would be no nuclear war.”
Fears of a third atomic bombing have been rising since the war against Ukraine began in February, as Russia threatened a nuclear attack.
On Thursday, Moscow shelled the Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Asked about the attack, Guterres said: “Any attack on a nuclear power plant is a suicide.”
He said he fully supports the IAEA’s efforts to stabilize the plant and gain access to the facility to carry out its mandate.
After decades of nuclear disarmament efforts, the world is now “going backwards”, Guterres said, noting that the world already has 13,000 nuclear bombs and has invested heavily in modernizing its atomic arsenal. “So now is the time to say: stop it.”
Guterres said the billions of dollars used in the arms race should be used for other pressing issues.
“The billions of dollars used in this arms race are needed to fight climate change, eradicate poverty, and meet the needs of the international community,” he said.
He said he would also travel to Mongolia and South Korea to discuss ways to address North Korea’s nuclear development..
With geopolitical tensions rising and the nuclear threat back in focus, Japan’s strong and consistent voice on peace matters is more important than ever, Guterres said, urging Japan to use its role as the world’s only sufferer. Atomic-bombed nations are uniquely positioned to act as “bridge builders and peacemakers that strengthen global cooperation, trust and solidarity.”
Guterres said he counted on Japan’s potential to play a leadership role in the global fight against climate change, and specifically urged Tokyo to stop funding coal-fired power plants.
Japan has yet to specify the timing of a blanket ban on coal-fired power plants, and is seen as reluctant to commit to banning coal-fired power generation like many European countries.
Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, is now focusing on developing ways to burn ammonia in conventional coal-fired power plants and phasing out the use of coal Probably sometime in the 2040s. Japan also aims to promote “clean coal” technology in Asia to achieve zero emissions.
Energy experts and critics say Japan’s current nuclear energy target is too ambitious, to supply 20-22% of its energy mix by 2030. By then, the country has pledged to reduce emissions to 46 percent of 2013 levels.
“There is no such thing as clean coal,” Guterres said. “For real change, I hope that Japan’s public and private capital will stop financing coal entirely.”
Guterres said he hoped that Japan, through multilateral development banks, would “immediately provide developing countries with investment and support to expand renewable energy and build climate resilience” to find solutions that fit their needs to address the climate emergency.
“I call on Japan to make the right choice for Japan and the world,” he said.
