From Prague to Paris: Balancing the nonproliferation/climate change nexus

摘要

After the discovery of nuclear fission of heavy elements on December 17, 1938, by German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, the world entered an era in which the power of the atom was to be utilized, first for destruction and then later for the benefit of humanity. Following the start of World War II on September 1, 1939, there was concern that Nazi Germany was working on weaponiz-ing its lead in nuclear sciences. To counter this perceived threat, the Allied powers on October 9, 1941, initiated what came to be known as the Manhattan Project. The first man-made, controlled nuclear chain reaction occurred when Chicago Pile 1 achieved criticality on December 2, 1942, and 958 days later, on July 16, 1945, the world's first nuclear explosion ("Trinity") occurred in the New Mexico desert. Only three weeks later, on August 6, 1945, the world learned about this new source of destruction, and people became concerned about its use.