On this page, you can choose a ‘plank’ — that is, an essay on how specific global threats can be stopped — from the list below. (The majority of these essays were written in late 2018/early 2019, and as such have not been updated except in the case of typos or other errors.)
Please click on the title of your choice to open the document which you want to read. (Most planks will also have one or more “Read more” buttons.)
- 01. All states owning or hosting nuclear weapons shall immediately de-alert them and commit to no-first-use
- 02. All states, including those in NATO, shall sign, ratify, and within 10 years comply with the TPNW.
- 03. All states shall reduce their militaries and not plan war for “national security.”
- 04. All states shall develop a UN Emergency Peace Service to protect civilians and respond to crises
- 05. All states shall ratify and fully implement the Arms Trade Treaty
- 06. UN Convention on CCW and all states shall prohibit developing or deploying lethal autonomous weapons.
- 07. All states shall swiftly adopt maximally stringent efficiency standards for cars, trucks, ships, and aircraft.
- 08. The International Code Council shall adopt stringent performance-based building codes.
- 09. All states shall adopt norms and procedures for the production, recovery, and recycling of materials
- 10. All states shall accelerate R&D of HVDC electric grids, energy storage, and Demand System Management
- 11. All states shall incorporate environmental considerations in developing national dietary food guides
- 12. All states shall negotiate to preserve and protect forests and enhance carbon sinks
- 13. All states shall accelerate SDG efforts to end poverty and enable all to obtain food and potable water
- 14. All states shall support improvements of soil health for resilient food production and carbon sequestration
- 15. WHO shall promote nations’ use of Incident Management System for early detection and response to pandemics
- 16. UN shall adopt a ‘one health approach’ integrating veterinary medicine and environmental science to mitigate disease emergence and antimicrobial resistance and to ensure the continuation of agriculture and civilization
- 17. All states shall shift rapidly to effective generation of electricity by using renewable energy.
- 18. All states shall prioritize the long-term control and safe storage of radioactive wastes, with public review.
- 19. The UN shall declare cyberspace a peaceful commons and create a binding treaty for international cyber norms.
- 20. Manufacturers of ICT hardware and software shall be liable for negligent security failures that cause harm.
- 21. All states shall support SDGs, tax wealth and financial transactions, and redistribute funds equitably.
- 22. All multilateral institutions shall heed the demands of international civil society alliances for justice.
- 23. Sub-national governments and non-state actors shall exercise leadership in solving global problems.
- 24. Investors and regulators shall compel all businesses to comply with the U.N. Global Compact.
- 25. Social movements and states shall prioritize Sustainable Common Security to address shared global challenges.
You may notice that we no longer have comments activated on the “25 planks” pages. Instead, we are now consolidating reader comments on any of the seven, more comprehensive, Overview pages, which you can find on the website’s left-hand sidebar (if viewing on a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer) or as the third box from the top (if viewing from a smartphone or similar small device).