Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's lesson.

I'm so pleased that you're going to join me.

My name's Mrs. Rawbone and I'm going to be your RE teacher today.

In our lesson today, you will be able to explain what weapons of mass destruction are and describe their types, effects, and issues surrounding them.

We'll be using some keywords today, biological weapons, chemical weapons, nuclear weapons, and weapons of mass destruction.

Biological weapons are weapons of mass destruction which use living organisms like bacteria, viruses, or toxins to infect and damage the body.

Chemical weapons are weapons of mass destruction that use manmade toxic substances to harm the body through inhalation, skin contact, or eye exposure.

A nuclear weapon is a weapon of mass destruction, which uses a nuclear reaction to cause widespread damage and loss of life.

And weapons of mass destruction describe weapons which cause widespread indiscriminate damage including nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

Our lesson today will take two parts.

We'll be looking first at weapons of mass destruction, and then at issues surrounding weapons of mass destruction.

So let's get started Looking at weapons of mass destruction.

Weapons of mass destruction are weapons which cause widespread indiscriminate damage, for example, nuclear, chemical, or biological.

Nuclear weapons work by releasing enormous energy through nuclear reactions.

Chemical weapons use manmade toxic chemicals to attack the body directly through inhalation, skin contact, and eye exposure.

Biological weapons use living organisms, bacteria, viruses, or toxins to infect the body.

The effects of weapons of mass destruction.

They are immediate.

Powerful blasts that destroy buildings, intense heat that causes severe burns, exposure to poisonous chemicals that attack the body, the rapid spread of deadly infections.

There are also many long-term effects.

Environmental devastation, increased rates of cancer and birth defects, psychological trauma, the breakdown of essential infrastructure, displacement of entire communities.

So what are weapons of mass destruction? Pause of video, write down your definition, and come back when you are ready to see what you could have written.

You should have said something like weapons which cause widespread indiscriminate damage.

For example, nuclear, chemical, or biological.

The Geneva Conventions, first signed in 1949, are international agreements designed to protect civilians and limit suffering during war.

And the use of weapons of mass destruction clearly violates their core principles.

There are ethical concerns surrounding the use of these weapons.

They create fear which goes against the Geneva Conventions' aim to limit suffering and protect civilians.

They affect civilians, which breaches the Geneva Conventions' requirement to protect non-combatants.

Their use breaks the Geneva Conventions' ban on weapons that cause unnecessary suffering or indiscriminate harm.

Their consequences are uncontrolled and cause long lasting outcomes the Geneva Conventions aim to prevent.

So what was the main purpose of the Geneva Conventions signed in 1949? Was it, A, to ban weapons of mass destruction? B, to protect civilians and limit suffering and war? C, to create peace treaties? Or D, to allow all forms of retaliation? Take a moment to jot down your answer.

Pause if you need to.

Come back when you're ready to check.

So well done if you chose B, to protect civilians and limit suffering in war.

Nuclear weapons were used at the end of World War II in 1945.

The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing around 120,000 immediately and resulting in an estimated total of 300,000 deaths.

Thousands more dilated from burns, cancer, radiation, sickness, and genetic damage.

Survivors known as hibakusha still face health problems and stigma today.

The devastation cause led to international efforts to control and reduce nuclear arsenals, including the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Chemical weapons were used in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

Iraq used mustard gas and nerve agents in the 1980s with the worst attack at Halabja in 1988 killing around 5,000 civilians.

Thousands died or suffered burns, blindness, and long-term illness.

Many survivors still suffer from cancer, breathing problems, and birth defects.

The lack of intervention raised concerns and led to greater global support for banning chemical weapons resulting in the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

Biological weapons have been developed and tested throughout the 20th century.

Anthrax has been used deliberately, most notably in the 2001 attacks in the United States where spores sent through the post killed five people.

Biological weapons can cause deadly outbreaks, spread quickly, and overwhelm healthcare systems. Survivors may face long-term health issues.

Concerns about the potential for mass casualties led to the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, banning their development and use.

This timeline illustrates the development and use of weapons of mass destruction throughout history.

We have in 1915, the first use of chemical weapons in war.

Germany uses chlorine gas in World War I.

In 1925, the Geneva Protocol is signed.

It bans the use but not production of chemical and biological weapons in war.

In 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The United States uses nuclear weapons for the first time killing around 240,000 people.

In 1968, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is signed.

It's a global agreement to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and encourage disarmament.

In 1972, the Biological Weapons Conventions is signed.

It bans the development, production, and stockpiling of biological weapons.

In the 1980s, chemical weapons were used in the Iran-Iraq War.

Iraq uses mustard gas and nerve agents killing thousands including civilians.

In 1997, the Chemical Weapons Conventions comes into force.

It banned the production use and stockpiling of chemical weapons worldwide.

In 2001, anthrax attacks in the United States.

Letters containing anthrax spores killed five people and spread fear of the use of biological weapons.

In the 2010s, the use of chemical weapons in Syria, chemical attacks in Syria cause international outrage and highlight continuing threats.

Despite international efforts to control them, weapons of mass destruction still exist in large numbers around the world.

Nuclear weapons are held by nine countries and although banned, some states are suspected or confirmed as having stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 was signed by 191 countries and it works to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

The Biological Weapons Conventions signed in 1972 prohibits biological weapons.

The Chemical Weapons Conventions of 1997 was signed by 193 countries and it bans the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.

Is this statement true or false? The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty bans all nuclear weapons worldwide.

Take a moment to think about what you've learned.

Decide on your answer but also think about why.

Come back when you're ready to check.

Well done if you put that it's false, but why is it false? Well, it's false because actually it limits their spread and it promotes disarmament, but it does not fully ban them.

For task A, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

What are weapons of mass destruction and what are the three main types? Give a brief explanation of how each type works.

Describe the immediate and long-term effects of using weapons of mass destruction.

Give two examples of each.

And what is the main aim of the Geneva Conventions and how do weapons of mass destruction violate their principles? You're going to need to think carefully about everything that you have learned so far in today's lesson.

So pause the video, take your time, and come back when you've finished.

You could have said for number one, weapons of mass destruction are weapons that cause widespread indiscriminate harm.

The three main types are nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

Nuclear weapons release enormous energy through nuclear reactions.

Chemical weapons use toxic substances to harm the body.

Biological weapons use viruses, bacteria, or toxins to cause disease and death.

Number two, immediate effects of these weapons include powerful explosions, severe burns, poisoning, and fast spreading infections.

Long-term effects include environmental damage, high rates of cancer, birth defects, psychological trauma, and the displacement of communities.

And for number three, the Geneva Conventions' aim to protect civilians and reduce suffering during armed conflict.

Weapons of mass destruction go against this because they harm civilians, cause unnecessary suffering, and create long-term damage.

So well done if you've managed to answer each of those questions and to show your knowledge of different types of weapons of mass destruction.

The second part of our lesson, we're going to be looking at issues surrounding weapons of mass destruction.

Neil is a humanist.

He is explaining his views on weapons of mass destruction.

Neil says, "I believe moral decision should be based on reason, evidence, and concern for human wellbeing.

Weapons of mass destruction cause severe long-term harm that cannot be morally justified.

Their secrecy creates mistrust and weakens international law.

While the risk of terrorist access adds to global insecurity, storing or dismantling them is costly and dangerous and that impact often pulls hardest on less economically developed nations." So what five issues does Neil raise? Pause the video.

Take your time to look at the points that he makes.

Come back when you are ready to see what you could have set.

First of all, he says it causes severe long-term harm, that secrecy creates mistrust, that there is a risk of terrorist access, that storing or dismantling them is dangerous and costly, and that their impact often is harder on less economically developed nations.

There's an issue to do with the secrecy around weapons of mass destruction.

Governments hide or deny that they have chemical and biological weapons for obvious reasons because they're banned.

This creates mistrust between countries.

This mistrust increases the risk of conflict or miscalculation, and it makes inspections and enforcement more difficult.

So what is one risk caused by countries hiding their chemical or biological weapons programmes? A, it reduces the cost of defence.

B, it improves global cooperation.

C, it increases mistrust and the chance of conflict.

Or D, it makes inspections easier.

Take a moment, pause if you need to, come back when you're ready to check your answer.

Excellent work if you chose C.

It increases mistrust and therefore increases the chance of conflict.

The threat of terrorism increases when groups who work outside of international law gain access to chemical and biological weapons.

Terrorist groups work outside of national and international law.

They might access chemical and biological weapons.

And then if they do gain access to these types of weapons, they're then a high risk of chemical or biological terrorism attacks.

Is this statement true or false? Terrorist groups are bound by the same international weapons treaties as governments? Take a moment to think carefully about your answer and also to think about why.

Pause if you need to.

Come back when you're ready to check.

Well done if you said false, but why is it false? Well, it's false because unfortunately international treaties apply to states and not to those who are non-state actors.

The storage and disposal of weapons of mass destruction is difficult and this is a further issue.

Many countries still store chemical and biological weapons.

Decommissioning them requires specialist equipment, time, and funding, and you can end up with poorly stored weapons which poses a serious threat in peace time because they might be accessed.

So what is one major difficulty in getting rid of old chemical or biological weapons? Is it A, they're too expensive to store? B, the materials are hard to destroy safely.

C, there is no international law against storing them, or D, they become harmless over time.

Pause if you need to.

Come back when you're ready to check your answer.

Good work if you put that the materials are hard to destroy safely.

Wealthier countries are better equipped to defend against and recover from attacks while less economically developed nations are more vulnerable to the impact of weapons of mass destruction.

So wealthier countries have advanced healthcare and defences that can help limit the impact of attacks.

Less economically developed countries often lack resources to prepare for or respond to attacks.

What is the missing word? Less economically developed countries are more.

To the effects of chemical and biological weapons due to weaker defences and healthcare systems. So take a moment, think carefully about this issue.

Come back when you're ready to check your answer.

So well done if you put vulnerable.

For task B, here's an evaluation statement about weapons of mass destruction.

There is never a good reason for any country to possess weapons of mass destruction.

I'd like you to write a paragraph of reasoned arguments in support of this statement.

Include the following points, one, they cause uncontrollable destruction and they violate humanitarian law.

Two, secrecy and lack of transparency is an issue.

Three, terrorism, so the risk of non-state actors getting hold of them is a further issue.

Four, there is storage and decommissioning challenges.

And five, global inequality and vulnerability is a further issue.

So take your time to think about those issues that we've been looking at in today's lesson and to put together a paragraph of arguments in support of the statement that there is never a good reason for any country to possess weapons of mass destruction.

Pause the video.

Take your time.

Come back when you've finished.

Let's have a look at what you could have said.

You could have said, "There's never a good reason for any country to possess weapons of mass destruction because their effects are uncontrollable and often violate humanitarian laws including the Geneva Conventions by causing widespread suffering and harming civilians.

These weapons are often kept secret, making inspections difficult and increasing distress between nations.

There's also the risk that chemical or biological weapons could fall into the hands of terrorist groups who are not bound by international law.

Even when not used, safely storing or destroying these weapons is expensive, dangerous, and often poorly managed.

Finally, less economically developed countries are more vulnerable to their effects and have fewer resources to respond, raising serious questions about fairness and global responsibility.

So excellent work if you have managed to talk about some of those key issues surrounding weapons of mass destruction.

In today's lesson, we have learned that weapons of mass destruction include nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that cause widespread indiscriminate damage.

Their use goes against the Geneva Conventions which aim to protect civilians and reduce unnecessary suffering in war.

These weapons have been used in major conflicts and attacks leading to efforts to ban or control them through treaties.

Many countries still hold or are suspected of holding chemical and biological weapons despite international bans.

Key concerns include secrecy, terrorism, disposal risk, lasting harm, global inequality in protection and recovery.

We worked through some really challenging issues today, so thank you for all of your efforts and for being with me in this lesson.