007 of 2019 - Supporting the United Nations Treaty on the prohibition of Nuclear Weapons R 19-1
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SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION
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7 of 2019
® JOINT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE UNITED NATIONS TREATY
ON THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
WHEREAS, nuclear weapons are an existential threat to all higher life on Earth,
including us;and
WHEREAS, all residents of Salt Lake City have the right to live free of the threat of
nuclear annihilation;and
WHEREAS, the nine nuclear-armed countries possess an arsenal of nearly 15,000
nuclear weapons,more than g000 of which are operationally deployed;
and
WHEREAS, detonation of even a single modern nuclear weapon on one of our cities
would profoundly change the course of our history;and
WHEREAS, atmospheric physicists have said that detonation of wen too Hiroshima
sized nuclear bombs on cities far from us would send millions of tons of
smoke into the stratosphere,blocking sunlight and creating a"nuclear
winter"in the entire northern hemisphere,with the result that no harvests
would be possible for up to ten years,causing famine and grave social
disruption for billions of humans,including those in Salt Lake City;and
WHEREAS, launch authority in the United States is in the hands of a single person,and
a first launch could quickly escalate into catastrophic all-out nuclear
exchange;and
WHEREAS, the Department of Energy now spends$15 billion per year to secure the
United States'nuclear arsenal,clean up contaminated nuclear weapons
manufacturing sites(including super-fund sites),and,crucially,monitor
and sequester fissionable materials worldwide;and
WHEREAS, the planned expenditure of up to$1.7 trillion to enhance our nuclear
arsenal will only exacerbate the problems listed above and fuel a global
nuclear arms race,already well underway;and
WHEREAS, the production of new nuclear weapons will threaten health and the
environment by creating dangerous radioactive waste as well as pressure
to test new designs,risking a new generation of downwinders"or people
made ill by radiation released during explosive nuclear testing;and
WHEREAS, the threat of weapons of mass destruction use is contrary to the rules of
international law and is in contravention of the Charter of the United
Nations regarding threats against other countries,and in violation of
numerous United Nations resolutions calling for the elimination of nuclear
weapons;and
WHEREAS, in 2017,122 United Nations member countries adopted the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,prohibiting the possession,development,
testing,use,and threat of use of nuclear weapons;and
WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors,the cities of Baltimore and Los
Angeles,and the State of California have all passed resolutions in support
of the Treaty.
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SALT LAKE CITY CORPORATION
�e�olution
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City,join these
voices in calling on the United States to support the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons,and calls on present and future United
States Administrations to show leadership and work with all nuclear
armed countries to negotiate verified elimination of all nuclear weapon
arsenals.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City call upon our
federal leaders to spearhead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by
renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first,ending the
President's sole,unchecked authority to launch a nuclear attack and
canceling the plan to replace its entire arsenal with enhanced weapons.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor of Salt Lake City will transmit
copies of this resolution to the President of the United States,each United
States Senator and Representative from Utah and to the Governor of Utah,
asking them to support the United ons Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons.
J que ine M.Biskupski harli u hair
Salt Lake City Mayor t ty Council Member
District Six
a-m--es Rogers,Vice Chair An w Joh on
Salt Lake City Council Member Salt Lake City Council Member
District One District Two
Chris Wharton Ana Valdemoros
Salt Lake City Council Member Salt Lake City Council Member
District Three District Four
Erin Mendenhall Amy Fowler
Salt Lake City Council Member Salt Lake City Council Member
District Five District Seven
Passed by the City Council of Salt Lake City, Utah, this 2nd day of
April, 2019.