2025 Wrap Up: The Year in Nuclear Weapons Abolition at PSR  December 18, 2025

Throughout 2025, PSR’s Nuclear Weapons Abolition program worked in advocacy, education, and global partnership to confront escalating nuclear dangers and advance a health-centered vision for disarmament. As nuclear risks continued to rise — from eroding arms control to renewed testing rhetoric — PSR worked to elevate the voices of health professionals to make clear that nuclear weapons are a public health emergency.

In January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been. Early in the year, PSR also tracked signals from the new Trump administration on nuclear weapons, analyzing how rhetoric around arms control or even disarmament contrasted with continued investments in nuclear modernization and conflict-escalation consistent with Trump’s first administration.

In March, PSR engaged in global advocacy around the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons during the Third Meeting of States Parties in New York City. PSR participated alongside hundreds of civil society organizations, health professionals, and hibakusha, contributing to discussions on evidence-based policy, the role of cities, and the responsibility of medical voices in advancing disarmament.

Spring brought a strong focus on domestic advocacy and movement-building. During April’s Month of Action, PSR highlighted the true cost of nuclear weapons spending through the updated Community Cost Calculator put together by PSR member Dr. Robert Dodge, showing how billions of public dollars are diverted from health, education, and environmental needs to support the nuclear weapons industry.

In May, PSR deepened engagement with students and early-career health professionals. Events ranged from national webinars on artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons to campus organizing efforts like the Atomic Waffles Social, creating accessible entry points into nuclear abolition work. This year PSR also launched its new Emerging Leaders for Planetary Health and Human Security program, strengthening pathways for young professionals to connect health, security, and justice.

Summer was marked by commemoration and grassroots action. PSR served as a national hub for events marking the 80th anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, tracking dozens of vigils, memorials, and educational gatherings across the country. These moments of remembrance honored hibakusha voices while reinforcing the urgency of abolition today. PSR also uplifted local resistance to nuclear weapons production, including protests at the Kansas City National Security Campus, highlighting the ongoing health and environmental harms of the nuclear weapons industry.

In the fall, PSR strengthened international solidarity and expanded education efforts. Representatives and members participated in the 24th IPPNW World Congress in Nagasaki, joining health professionals from around the world in the last city to be bombed by a nuclear weapon. PSR leaders helped shape international statements, engaged in cross-border dialogue, and reaffirmed the role of physicians in preventing nuclear war. This fall also saw the launch of PSR’s new Nuclear Weapons & Radiation: Health Risks and Advocacy Training, bringing together more than 100 participants from across the U.S. and internationally to learn about the in-depth health impacts of nuclear weapons, organize against nuclear harm, and build advocacy skills.

As the year closes, PSR continues to respond to emerging nuclear threats and cultural moments. We spoke out strongly against the potential resumption of U.S. nuclear testing, joining international partners to warn of the devastating health and environmental consequences. 

Together with our members, partners, and growing community of health professionals, PSR will continue to challenge dangerous policies, elevate health-based evidence, and build momentum toward a safer, healthier, nuclear-free future.

This year, the success of our program would not be possible without the tireless work and support of our members. And while we look forward to the work we’ll continue in 2026, we are immensely grateful and appreciative of your support for a world without nuclear weapons.