As the world commemorates the anniversaries of the dropping of nuclear weapons on the people of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, it hasn't been a good week for world peace.
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We have seen a reckless and dangerous escalation of the possibility of war.
The week started with United States (US) Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, having the arrogance to use a visit to Australia to suggest that Darwin would be an ideal place to locate nuclear missiles.
Although the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, was in denial mode, we should be sceptical enough to realise that often on such matters 'no means yes' (he just has to get the Australian public used to the idea first).
After all, then prime minister Julia Gillard gave the OK for the United States to permanently base 2000 marines in Darwin.
They are still there.
Mr Pompeo also used his visit to pressure Australia to join the coalition that is supposedly going to protect oil shipments in the Persian Gulf.
This sounds very similar to how Australia was led by the nose into the still going war in Afghanistan 20 years ago.
Mr Pompeo also suggested that China was just "a pile of soybeans", while in the US, his boss, President Donald Trump, deepened his trade war against Australia's largest trading partner.
In recent weeks there have also been attempts to change public opinion on how we see the world and our place in it.
For example, government spokespeople have been talking up the idea of nuclear power (anyone for a reactor in your neighbourhood?), and defence commentators have been touting the reprehensible idea of Australia developing a nuclear bomb.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki demonstrate that war and weaponry are the ultimate forms of environmental destruction.
Australia's experience of nuclear bombs at Maralinga has contributed to our long standing opposition to nuclear proliferation.
This public sentiment will have to be overturned if the Australian government is to agree to host a US nuclear arsenal in Darwin that would pose a real threat to China and the rest of the world.
Instead of listening to war-mongering world leaders, we need to listen to young people who are mobilising for the global strike against climate change to be held on September 20.
They are demanding for system change, not climate change.
