More than 50 Nobel laureates have signed an open letter calling on all countries around the world to reduce defense spending by 2% a year for the next five years, writes The Guardian. Half of the money saved in this way is proposed to be sent to the UN Fund for Pandemics, Climate Crisis and Extreme Poverty.
According to the newspaper, the announcement was published at a time when growing tensions in the world have led to a steady increase in arms spending. "Some governments are forced to increase military spending because others do," the statement said. "The feedback mechanism is sustaining an accelerating arms race - a colossal loss of resources that can be used much more wisely."
The open letter, written by Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli, has been supported by many scientists and mathematicians, including British mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose, as well as Nobel laureates: British biochemist Vencatraman Ramakrishnan and American biologist Carol Grader. They were also joined by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama.
Celebrities around the world argue that a new arms race could lead to "devastating and deadly conflicts." At the same time, the authors of the message have "a simple and concrete proposal for all humanity": they advise "all UN member states to agree on a joint reduction of military spending by 2 percent each year for five years."
Researchers are urging world leaders to donate half of the financial resources to the UN-controlled Global Fund to tackle serious and common problems for the world's population: "pandemics, climate change and extreme poverty." According to their estimates, by 2030 the fund's account could have up to $ 1 trillion. At the same time, according to The Guardian, the signatories of the call express doubts that large or medium-sized countries will really decide to reduce the defense budget and that the UN and its organizations will transfer any sums.
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