Michael Douglas has long been in support of nuclear disarmament. Now, the actor has joined the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) for a series of commercials calling for an international permanent ban on nuclear weapons.
According to Look to the Stars, the actor says “The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is a guiding light on the road to a nuclear weapons free world. Once in force it will help prevent the kind of nuclear arms race we experienced in the past and will make it much more difficult to continue to build up nuclear arsenals.”
Douglas said that his opposition to nuclear arms is a result of his childhood experience during the arms race of the Cold War. “I grew up in the United States at a time when nuclear weapons testing was commonplace. We used to have air raid drills at school and my father had a bomb shelter built in his yard in California. As a child, it was difficult to grasp the meaning of what was happening. It had a nightmare, monster-like quality which always haunted me. Later, as I began to understand the ramifications of nuclear weapons testing, my commitment to nuclear disarmament grew.”
Thousands of nuclear bombs have been tested around the world since World War II, leaving behind severe consequences for humans, animals and the earth. The CTBTO works toward a treaty that would ban “nuclear explosions by everyone, everywhere: on the Earth’s surface, in the atmosphere, underwater and underground,” according to their website. The treaty has support from over 180 countries but will not be in place until nine remaining nuclear countries sign: the United States, China, Egypt, Pakistan, North Korea, Indonesia, India, Iran and Israel. Indonesia has agreed to ratify the treaty soon. Douglas said, “The world has waited long enough for the Treaty to become global law. So today, as an actor and a United Nations Messenger of Peace, I’m using my voice and my name to raise awareness and support for this crucial treaty. I’m calling on the nine countries that still need to ratify the Treaty to do so without further delay, so that we can bring it into force and remove the threat of these terrible weapons once and for all.”
Watch Michael Douglas’ powerful commercial with the CTBTO below.
About Jennifer Mishler
Jennifer is an animal advocate and activist. She is a volunteer coordinator with The Girls Gone Green, a nonprofit organization advocating for animals rights, veganism, and environmentalism. She is also an Onshore Volunteer with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and a volunteer with CJ Acres Animal Rescue Farm, a nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates farm animals. Along with writing for Ecorazzi, she writes about veganism and animal rights on her blog, A Dog's Eye View. She lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and their three animal friends. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jennygoneveganView all posts by Jennifer Mishler →
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