> has no capability other than mass death

A 30-kiloton nuclear explosion was used by the USSR to extinguish a large natural gas fire:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtabulak_gas_field

They would be used for constructive purposes far more if not for mutual distrust between nuclear powers, and the public hysteria around anything associated with the word "nuclear":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaceful_nuclear_explosion

This is another version of "we don't need to pretend to be stupid."

Yes, one could cook up all sorts of uses for the things called nuclear weapons, which we designed by people to kill other people. But we don't have to pretend to be stupid and assume nuclear weapons don't, I don't know, exist in a context of warfare which shapes their design and warrants actual thought about their use and regulation?

And the massive amounts of harmful fallout, don’t forget that.