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Dear Joshua,
Every four years the world comes together for a monumental sporting event. While we may never meet each other in person or have enough money to buy a ticket to the matches, billions around the world will watch the World Cup together, creating what Benedict Anderson called an “Imagined Community.” However, as we gather in restaurants, pubs, homes, and stadiums to watch the beautiful game, the world teeters on the brink of destruction. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ “Doomsday Clock” is set at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest the world has ever been to global catastrophe.
Of the 48 teams competing in the World Cup this year, four represent nuclear-armed states: the United States, France, and, as constituent countries of the United Kingdom, England and Scotland. Nations competing in this World Cup have been harmed by nuclear weapons through uranium mining, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, nuclear testing, such as Australia and Algeria, and, in the case of Japan, their direct use. But nuclear weapons harm every nation. On the pitch, every country controls its own destiny and has the opportunity to survive and advance. Beyond the stadium, however, no nation is truly free from the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. As long as they exist, every country lives under the threat of a catastrophe capable of reshaping the future of humanity.
While we at Oregon PSR love soccer, as an organization that fights every day to eliminate the nuclear threat, we cannot ignore what is happening in the world at this moment. As residents of a co-host nation, we feel a special responsibility to educate the public on this existential threat to our collective humanity. Therefore, this month we launched our “Save the World” Cup campaign. I have already met so many folks from various walks of life at bars, pubs, and official watch parties throughout Portland as part of this campaign. From giving children our soccer balls to discussing the information in our free programs, this work has allowed me to do two things I enjoy more than anything: watching soccer and talking with the community about who we are and what we do.
For many, watching the World Cup is a chance to escape the day-to-day struggles of life and global events that can feel overwhelming. However, we can come together as an imagined community not just to root for our favorite teams and players, but to use this World Cup as a starting point for building a future free of nuclear weapons. We hope you enjoy the next month of matches, spend time with loved ones, and commit to building a future in which the World Cup is played in a world free of nuclear weapons. Thank you, and enjoy the World Cup, everyone!
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We at Oregon PSR have loved the opportunity to get out in the community and use the world’s biggest sporting event to help raise awareness about one of the biggest threats to our public health and well-being: nuclear weapons. We look forward to seeing you this summer, not only as we continue to enjoy the World Cup in the weeks ahead, but also as we work to secure a safe and healthy future for our communities and environment.
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We encourage you to come say hello and pick up a free Save the World Cup book. Inside, you’ll find essays on the dangers of nuclear weapons and why this threat is both real and urgent, along with country profile posters (similar to this not included poster for Ireland, who just missed qualifying for the cup) for every nation competing in the tournament and explainers on what the nuclear stats signify.
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Beating the Heat
As many of you likely remember, it was just five years ago that Oregon experienced a record-breaking heat dome, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people and reached temperatures as high as 117°. This week, many states will find themselves under a heat dome that is also predicted to be record-breaking and endanger many lives.
When severe heat returns to our area, and it will, we encourage you to take the necessary steps to protect yourself, including staying hydrated and, if possible, staying indoors. Here is a non-exhaustive list of Oregon county extreme heat resource pages, including locations for cooling shelters. If your county is not listed here, be sure to check for an extreme heat resource page in your area.
Benton County
Clackamas County
Lane County
Marion County
Multnomah County
Washington County
We also encourage you to attend the next Rumble on the River, co-sponsored by Oregon PSR, which will address this very issue.
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🌡️Rumble on the River Community Forum 32: We’re Not Gonna Take the Heat
📅Date: July 9
⏰Time:
🐦 Pre-Rumble Tour of the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s future site of Wildlife Care Center & Nature Sanctuary: 5:00pm
🚪Doors/Info Tables: 5:30pm
🎤Panel: 6:30pm
📍Location: Dharma Rain Zen Center // 8500 NE Siskiyou St. Portland, OR 97220
💲Cost: Rumbles are always free!
With experts predicting a sizzling summer for Oregon, after the lowest snowpack ever recorded, we continue to struggle to decarbonize and put the brakes on climate-caused disasters. How do we organize to mitigate and respond effectively?
Panel
Bruce Nelson: Community Tree Guy
El Navarro: Outreach Manager with Depave
Noelle Studer-Spevak: Shade Equity Manager with 350PDX
Vivek Shandas: Professor of Geography, PSU/School of Earth, Environment & Society
Willie Groshell:National Association of Letter Carriers: Oregon State President Emeritus and National NALC Regional Workers Compensation Advocate
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Portland has a critical opportunity to reduce the risks posed by the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. Sign the petition urging Mayor Wilson and City Council to oppose expansion, support a significant phased drawdown of hazardous fuels, strengthen public safety protections, and pass CEI Hub policies that protect our communities and environment.
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Make Your Voice Heard on Expanded Plutonium Pit Production
The federal government is considering a major expansion of plutonium pit production ( the radioactive cores used in nuclear weapons to 'trigger' the explosion). A recent court ruling requires the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), giving the public an important opportunity to comment before decisions are made.
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| (Credit: US Energy Department public domain image) |
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Free virtual training sessions are available on July 8th and July 15th, in advance of the July 16 public comment deadline to help you learn how to submit your comment. Whether you have participated in a public comment process before or not, we encourage you to attend.
There is no demonstrated need to produce new plutonium pits to maintain the safety or reliability of the existing U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Instead, expanded pit production is intended to support future nuclear weapons. We encourage you to submit a public comment and make your voice heard before the July 16 deadline.
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Nuclear energy and plutonium pit production were both topics of conversation when Oregon PSR Executive Director Vincent Intondi, along with representatives from several allied organizations, met with congressional staff earlier this month.
Vin is shown here with two key local voices on nuclear issues, Columbia Riverkeeper Policy Director (and Oregon PSR Advisory Board Member) Kelly Campbell and Hanford Challenge Program Manager Miya Burke. See here for a recent webinar hosted by Hanford Challenge on ALARA and public health impacts.
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Vin and Kelly Campbell are shown here with Brian Campbell, PhD (no relation) Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility (national).
A few weeks prior, Vin also spoke at the public hearing in Washington, DC on the Plutonium Pit Production Draft PEIS. You can watch Vin's statement here.
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Say No to Uranium Mining in Oregon
The Aurora Uranium Project would turn 7,500 acres of public land in Oregon's McDermitt Caldera into the largest uranium mine in the United States. Driven by growing demand for electricity from data centers and advanced nuclear reactors, the project threatens public lands, wildlife, water, and nearby communities while exposing future generations to the lasting environmental and public health impacts of uranium mining. Sign the petition to urge decision-makers to reject uranium mining on Oregon's public lands and help protect our communities, environment, and future.
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| (Photo: John Aylward / ONDA) |
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🌸From Awareness to Action: Creating a Nuclear Weapons Free World
📅August 6, 2026
⏰6-7:00pm
📍Japanese American Historical Plaza
On August 6, Oregon PSR and community partners will gather to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Host: Oregon PSR's Executive Director, Dr. Vincent Intondi
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Robert “Bo” Jacobs
Poetry Reading: Pat Hoover
Musical Performances: Portland Taiko and Shakuhachi
Dance Performance: Tsubaki Buyo Doukoukai
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Following the remembrance event, we encourage you to attend a free screening of The Seeds of Peace at the PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater.
🎞️The Seeds of Peace
📅Date: August 6
⏰Time:
🎵Doors & Music: 7:00pm
🎥Event Begins: 7:30pm
📍Where: PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater (3530 SE Division St.)
💲Cost: Free
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Thursday, August 6th, 2026 marks the 81st anniversary of the horrific Hiroshima atomic bombing, an event which changed the course of humanity. Marking this occasion, local filmmaker David Paul-Heberg will premiere his new documentary The Seeds of Peace about a survivor of the bombing who continues to spread a message of peace by collecting seeds from trees that survived the blast and spreading them across the Pacific Northwest. It will focus on the local connections to this story and how we can all continue to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki today. Come early for a special performance by Oregon Koto-Kai.
Following the screening, a post-film conversation will take place featuring:
Dr. Vincent Intondi // Executive Director, Oregon PSR
Hanako Wakatuski-Chong // Executive Director, Japanese American Museum of Oregon
David Paul-Hedberg // Director, Seeds of Peace
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Last week saw the third installment in the series of webinars being presented by Oregon PSR and community allies, and hosted by Oregon PSR advisory board member Catherine Thomasson, MD of MCAT.
Please click here to check out the recordings and slides from the first three webinars in this series and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for news on the next installment.
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This weekend we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's independence. During this time, we are reminding of the words of Frederick Douglass, who challenged Americans to judge the nation not only by the ideals it professed, but by whether the nation's actions reflected those ideals. While celebrating the principles of the Declaration of Independence, he also warned that those principles ring hollow when entire communities bear the costs of policies that benefit others. Yet he ended not in despair, declaring, "I do not despair of this country," and drawing encouragement from the declaration and having hope that America could live up to its highest values.
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At Oregon PSR, our responsibility is to work to push back against the gravest, most high-impact threats that are facing us. Too often these threats and harms are disproportionately borne by marginalized communities. Often, people will justify these harms in the name of 'progress' or 'the economy' or 'national security'. However, like Douglass, we do not despair but rather we have hope for a better tomorrow, for all of us. This is a hope built on community, a hope that is developed from seeing and speaking with so many of you and finding out how, despite our many differences, we truly want a better tomorrow not just for ourselves but for each other. We have hope because, despite how easy it is to put your head down and turn a blind eye to the various threats that face our communities (both now and in the future) and that despite this, more and more people each day decide that they will not stand around while our communities are harmed and our future is sacrificed. They instead decide to take time out of their busy lives to get involved, to write letters, to go to events, to make donations, to do what they can - whatever that may be.
At Oregon PSR, that same commitment guides our work today. Across our work on pollution and nuclear weapons, we challenge policies that place the interests of the powerful above the health, safety, and well-being of our communities, particularly those that have historically borne the greatest burdens. Like Douglass, we believe America is strongest when its actions reflect its highest ideals.
We thank you for giving us reason to hope.
Please, have a safe and happy holiday.
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