Why for that matter do any of those nations have them? The Generation Prague conference, held Thursday, July 9 at the U.S. Department of State, provided several reasons why this field is still of great importance, and why Gen Y and Millennials should work to create a grassroots resurgence of interest in the nuclear weapons realm. There are other countries which claim to have nuclear weapons - North Korea, India and Pakistan - and it is widely believed Israel has them too, although it has not confirmed or denied this. So even though the number of warheads in the world has gone down, nuclear weapons programmes are still active. This is why you might hear a nuclear bomb being called an atomic bomb. The cold war rivals United states of America and Russian have also signed an agreement to cut down their nuclear arsenals which mean they see them as useless weapons that are threatening the existence of human race. The explosions they produce are so powerful that just one nuclear bomb can destroy a large city. Read about our approach to external linking. When all leaders consider themselves as holding the future of their citizens, they will come up with a technology that brightens their citizens’ future. North Korea (pictured here is the state's leader Kim Jong-un) withdrew from the NPT in 2003, Prime Minister Theresa May has said it would be a "gross irresponsibility" for the UK to abandon its nuclear weapons, They were used twice against Japan during World War II, huge devastation and enormous loss of life, which is why the Iran nuclear deal was reached, Britain's nuclear weapons programme is called Trident. This body serves as a mediator of different countries that are at risk of entering a war. In July 2017, more than 100 countries endorsed a United Nations treaty to ban nuclear weapons altogether - the first agreement of its kind - and dozens of countries have already signed it. This was an idea generated during the cold war era however, it is no longer viable. Powerful countries are the ones which do not leave their children to starve to death in a search for a nuclear technology which is harmful to human beings and environment. To reduce the possibility of turning citizens into poverty, leaders should refrain from investing in nuclear and other biological weapons. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. They get their energy from splitting or joining tiny particles inside an atom. It is also difficult to know what a country is doing, as the earlier stages of the process to develop a nuclear bomb are similar to the development of a nuclear power station (a peaceful use of nuclear technology) - so it can be hard to tell what a country is really up to. HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. The organisation behind this treaty - The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons - won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. The perpetuators of nuclear weapons have sometimes thought they create a balance of power between the east and the west through acquiring nuclear weapons. They believe that if Britain got rid of its nuclear weapons, it would set a good example to the rest of the world. Why do we have them? An important global treaty called the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) came into force in 1970, which spells out the rules for nuclear weapons around the world. According to the Federation of American Scientists, China, Pakistan, India and North Korea are adding to the number of warheads that they have. We are all called to learn from Nagasaki and Hiroshima, that nuclear weapons can produce devastating impacts to human beings and the environment we live in. All Rights Reserved. But the nuclear-armed states refused to come to the negotiations, and the UK and US say they never intend to join the treaty because it conflicts with the work of the NPT. We do not wish to see any other country subjected to these conditions. Sadly, enough in their efforts to obtain nuclear weapons technology these countries have invested less in sectors such as food security, medicines and environmental protections  which are vital for the existence of human race. They mostly developed their nuclear weapons following World War Two, although China was slightly later in the mid-1960s. Including the five recognised nuclear weapons states, 190 countries have signed the agreement. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Why are some nations keen to spend fortunes on programmes developing these weapons - whilst their people go hungry? It also bans others countries from developing nuclear weapons. South Africa, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine all gave up their nuclear programmes. Iran was also suspected of working to develop nuclear weapons, which is why the Iran nuclear deal was reached. We are all called to learn from Nagasaki and Hiroshima, that nuclear weapons can produce devastating impacts to human beings and the environment we live in. Prime Minister Theresa May has said it would be a "gross irresponsibility" for the UK to abandon its nuclear weapons, although there are people who disagree with this. The government says that the current Trident system will be out of date in the coming years, so a replacement is needed - and in July 2016, MPs voted to renew it. Since the end of the cold war, the concept of a balance of power has lost its place in development. Acquisition of nuclear weapon technology has left some countries isolated. Eight sovereign states have publicly announced successful detonation of nuclear weapons. They get their energy from splitting or joining tiny particles inside an atom. “Now, as our technology improves, we are developing non-nuclear ways to accomplish that same objective.” Such non-nuclear means include the much-debated missile defense shield to be constructed in Eastern Europe and conventional warheads that have global reach. Some countries have argued that they obtain nuclear weapons to deter the possibility of being invaded by another country with nuclear weapons. Britain's nuclear weapons programme is called Trident. They were used twice against Japan during World War II, causing huge devastation and enormous loss of life, but they have not been detonated in war since.