Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction
The New York Academy of Medicine
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Event Description
Symposium: The Dynamics
of Possible Nuclear Extinction l February 28-March 1, 2015 at The New York
Academy of Medicine
A unique, two-day symposium at which an
international panel of leading experts in disarmament, political science, artificial intelligence, existential risk, anthropology, medicine, nuclear weapons and other nuclear
issues will be held at The New York Academy of Medicine on Feb 28- March 1,
2015. The public is welcome.
A project of The Helen Caldicott
Foundation
Important notice: Tickets will be on sale online until noon on Feb 27th, 2015. Register early to reserve your place. After the cut off date you will have to pay by CASH at the venue.
There will be NO FOOD OPTION for those who do not pre-register.
There is no bank machine in the building.
- THE CUT OFF DATE FOR ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOON on FEBRUARY 27th, 2015. Registering in advance online will include complimentary lunch.
- Lunch will not be included if you register at the door.
- NO OTHER LUNCH OPTION WILL BE AVAILABLE at the venue.
- The doors will open at 8am for seating and late/day of registration. The event will begin promptly at 9am on both days.
The event will be live streamed, watch for link here...
- Because of the live stream attendees will not be admitted while presenters are speaking.
Please arrive at 8am to check-in and/or buy tickets.
The Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction.
Russia and the U.S. possess 94% of the 16,400
nuclear weapons in the global nuclear arsenal. The U.S. maintains its first
strike winnable nuclear war policy, and both countries have raised their
nuclear arsenals to a higher state of alert because of the situation in the
Ukraine. Furthermore it has just been announced that the administration has
plans to replace every nuclear warhead and their delivery systems via ship,
submarine, missile and plane, at a cost of one trillion dollars over the next thirty
years.
This symposium to be held by The Helen
Caldicott Foundation will address the following issues:
.
What are the human and technological factors
that could precipitate a nuclear war between Russia and the U.S., how many
times have we come close to nuclear war and how long will our luck hold?
.
What are the ongoing technological and
financial developments relevant to the nuclear weapons arsenals of the US and
Russia?
.
What problems are associated with lateral
proliferation of nuclear weapons via strenuous corporate marketing of nuclear
technology?
.
What are the medical and environmental
consequences of either a small or large scale nuclear war?
.
What are the underlying philosophical,
political, and ideological dynamics that have brought life on earth to the
brink of extinction?
.
How can we assess this situation from an
anthropological perspective?
.
What is the pathology within the present
political situation that could lead us to extinction?
.
How can this nuclear pathology be cured?
Moderated by:
DAY ONE:
Kennette Benedict, Executive Director and Publisher, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Day Two: Ray Acheson, Director, Reaching Critical Will
The Presenters (confirmed speakers, speaking
order may change):
- Theodore Postol - Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and National Security Policy, MIT – Striving for Armageddon
- Seth Baum- Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, will address the catastrophic risk of nuclear war
- Max Tegmark - Professor of physics at MIT and author of “Our Mathematical Universe”, will discuss artificial intelligence and the risk of accidental nuclear war.
- Hans Kristensen - Federation of American Scientists, will address the status and trends of the world's nuclear arsenals
- Bill Hartung- Center for International Policy, will discuss the inordinate power and pathological dynamics exercised by the US military industrial complex
- Greg Mello -Los Alamos Study Group, the role and funding of the nuclear weapons laboratories inherent within the US nuclear armament dilemma
- John Feffer - Institute of Policy Studies will compare the money spent on the US military industrial complex compared with the paltry amount spent on the prevention of global warming
- Robert Parry- Investigative Journalist, Consortium News- Ukraine and the Human Factor: How propaganda and passions can risk nuclear conflagration
- Bruce Gagnon - Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, will elucidate the ongoing and dangerous militarization of space
- Bob Alvarez - Institute of Policy Studies, will discuss lateral proliferation and describe how a small nuclear exchange could trigger a global holocaust
- Steven Starr– Senior Scientist PSR, Associate Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Nuclear War: An Unrecognized Mass Extinction Event Waiting to Happen.
- Holly Barker – Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Medical, Teratogenic and Genetic pathology related to US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.
- Alan Robock – Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Environmental Sciences. Rutgers University, will outline his pioneering work on Nuclear Famine and Nuclear Winter.
- Alex Wellerstein - Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Stevens Institute of Technology will discuss Personalizing the Bomb, what this means to young people today
- Janne Nolan - Elliott School of International Affairs - Hooligans at the Gate: The Checkered History of Arms Control
- Mike Lofgren – former congressional staffer and author of Anatomy of the Deep State, will describe the merger of corporations and the US government as an underlying cause of the current nuclear situation
- Susi Snyder- (PAX, the Netherlands), Author of the 2013 & 2014 DON’T BANK ON THE BOMB reports
- Hugh Gusterson - Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs, George Washington University will describe his anthropological research over many years studying the culture of nuclear weapons scientists at Livermore and Los Alamos.
- Robert Sheer - author of STAR WARRIORS , The Madness Persists
- Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics, MIT will present the pathology within the present political system that could lead to catastrophe if not cured
- Dave Krieger – Nuclear Age Peace Foundation on what can we do? How the Marshall Islanders are speaking truth to power.
- Tim Wright – Campaign Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – some potential and exciting solutions
- Helen Caldicott – President of The Helen Caldicott Foundation – An urgent prescription for survival
The program:
DAY ONE: Saturday, February 28
Morning
Session
9am Opening
Remarks- to be announced
9.15 – 9.30
Moderator Kennette Benedict - Executive Editor and Publisher Bulletin of
Atomic Scientists: It's 3 Minutes to Midnight.
9.35 – 9.55
Theodore Postol - Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and
National Security Policy, MIT – Striving for Armageddon
10.00 – 10.20 Max
Tegmark – Professor of Physics, MIT – Artificial Intelligence and the Risk
of Accidental Nuclear War
10.25 - 10.45 - Alan
Robock – Distinguished Professor, Department Environmental Sciences,
Rutgers University – Nuclear Famine and Nuclear Winter: Climatic Effects of
Nuclear War, Catastrophic Threats to the Global Food Supply
10.50 –
11.20 Q&A
11.20 –
11:50 Tea and Coffee
11.55 – 12.15 - Steven
Starr – Associate of Nuclear Age peace Foundation, Board Member and
Senior Scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility – An Unrecognized Extinction Event Waiting to Happen
12.20 –
12.40 Bruce Gagnon – Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power on
Space – The Ongoing and Dangerous Militarization of Space Nuclear War
12.45 –
1.05 - Bill Hartung – Center for International Policy – Inordinate Power
and Pathological Dynamics of the US Military Industrial Complex
1:05- 1:30 Q&A
1:30 - 2:30 Lunch
Afternoon Session
2:40 - 3:00 - Greg Mello – Los Alamos Study Group – The Role and Funding of the US Nuclear Weapons Labs
3.05 – 3.25
- Seth Baum – Global Catastrophic Risk Institute – The Catastrophic Risk
of Nuclear War
3.30 – 3.50
– Bob Alvarez – Institute Of Policy Studies – Lateral Proliferation
Could Trigger a Nuclear Holocaust
3.55 – 4.15
- Robert Parry – Investigative Journalist, Consortium News – Ukraine and
the Human Factor : How propaganda and passions can risk nuclear conflagration.
4.15 – 4.45 -
Q&A
4.45 – 5.15 Tea and
Coffee
5.00- 7.15 Film
- On The Beach
DAY TWO: March 1
Morning Session
9.00 –
9.15am Opening remarks: Moderator Ray Acheson – Director of Reaching Critical
Will – Report on Vienna conference
9.20 – 9.40
Holly Barker – Department of Anthropology, University of Washington –
Medical, Teratogenic and Genetic Pathology Related to US Nuclear Testing in the
Marshall Islands
9.45 –
10.05 Hans Kristensen, Federation of American Scientists – The Status
and Trends of the World’s Nuclear Arsenals
10.10 –
10.30 John Feffer – Institute of Policy Studies – Comparison of Spending
on US Military Industrial Complex and Prevention of Global Warming
10.35 –
11.05 - Q&A
11.05 –
11.35 - Tea and Coffee
11.40– 12.00 Janne Nolan – Elliott School of International Affairs – Hooligans at the Gate: The Checkered History of Arms Control
12.05 – 12:25 Mike Lofgren – Former congressional staffer and author of Anatomy of the Deep State – The Merger of corporations and the US government as an Underlying Cause of the Current Nuclear Situation
12.30 – 12.50 Susi Snyder - PAX, The Netherlands – Author of the 2013 & 2014 DON"T BANK ON THE BOMB REPORTS - Don’t Bank on the Bomb
12.55– 1:25 - Q&A
1.30– 2.30
– Lunch
Afternoon
Session
2:35– 2.55 Alex
Wellerstein- Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Stevens
Institute of Technology – NukeMap: Personalizing the Bomb, what this means to young people
3.00 – 3.20 - Hugh Gusterson – Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs, George Washington University will describe his anthropological research over many years of studying the culture of nuclear weapons scientists at Livermore and Los Alamos
3.25 – 3.45
- Robert Scheer – author of Star Warriors – The Madness Persists
3.50 – 4.10
- Noam Chomsky – Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics MIT –
A Pathology That Could Yield to Catastrophe if Not Cured
4.15 –
4.45 – Q&A
4.45 – 5.15
- Tea and Coffee
5.20 – 5.40
- David Krieger – President Nuclear Age Peace Foundation –Nuclear Zero
Lawsuits Brought By the Marshall Islands Against the Nine Nuclear Nations
5.45 – 6.05 - Tim
Wright – Campaign Director International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons ICAN – Some New and Exciting Solutions
6.10 – 6.30 – Dr.
Helen Caldicott – President The Helen Caldicott Foundation– While There’s
Life There’s Hope