Tony deBrum, champion of action on climate change and nuclear abolition

On October 28, 2015, Beyond Nuclear was honored to be the presenter of the Nuclear-Free Future Award (NFFA) to Tony deBrum, Former Republic of the Marshall Islands Foreign Minister. Tony worked tirelessly to bring the world’s attention to the deadly legacy of the 67 U.S. atomic bomb tests over the RMI and became a leading voice in calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Recently, deBrum had helped lead two law suits against nuclear weapons countries. He also played a pivotal role in securing the Paris Climate Accord, and dedicated his recent years to the crisis of climate change, already being felt on his low-lying islands. We are now saddened to report that Minister deBrum, 72, died August 22 at his Majuro home surrounded by family. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, deBrum won the Right Livelihood Award (pictured) in the same year he was honored by the NFFA. The Adam Horowitz film, Nuclear Savage, highlights much of deBrum’s investigative work on the horrifying health consequences to Marshall Islanders during the 12 the years of atomic bomb tests there. More

Update on August 22, 2017 by admin

Lisa Friedman published an obituary in the New York Times, "Tony de Brum, Voice of Pacific Islands on Climate Change, Dies at 72."

Update on August 24, 2017 by admin

Dan Zak, author of Almighty, has published an obituary in the Washington Post: "He saw a nuclear blast at 9, then spent his life opposing nuclear war and climate change."

Update on August 30, 2017 by admin

Robert C. Koehler wrote an obituary, "The Man Who Stood Up to Armegeddon."

Update on September 1, 2017 by admin

In its Sept. 1, 2017 The Sunflower newsletter, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) wrote:

Remembering Tony de Brum

Tony de Brum, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, passed away on August 22. Ambassador de Brum was a selfless leader in the movements for nuclear weapons abolition and climate sanity, and he will be dearly missed.

In 2014, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, led by Minister de Brum, filed the Nuclear Zero Lawsuits in the International Court of Justice and U.S. Federal Court, landmark cases against the nine nuclear-armed nations “for failing to comply with their obligations under international law to pursue negotiations in good faith for the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons.”

Tony de Brum was a member of the NAPF Advisory Council and received the Foundation's 2012 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award for his tireless work for justice and a world free of nuclear weapons.

Tributes to de Brum have been written from all over the world, including articles by Robert C. Koehler, the Washington Post, and The New York Times.