Greenpeace International responds to nuclear tension between US and North Korea

In response to the escalating rhetoric and tension between the US and North Korea, Greenpeace International Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid said:

“Greenpeace first set sail as an organisation in 1971 to stop nuclear weapons testing and since then we have campaigned for a nuclear-free world. We believe in a world in which peace is achieved through diplomacy, negotiation and cooperation not by threat, military escalation and brinkmanship. Our mission continues and we call on all parties to pull back from the brink.

“The possession, development and the threat to use nuclear weapons became illegal under a UN treaty agreed in July by 122 countries. Greenpeace has consistently demanded the elimination of the world’s nuclear stockpile.

“Nuclear weapons are neither a negotiating tactic nor a means to deliver true security. These weapons of mass destruction are designed for one purpose only: war. Their use, and even the threat of their use, poses an existential threat to all life on the planet.

“Greenpeace is alarmed by the escalating US-North Korean tension and urges all parties to rapidly de-escalate the situation.”