Issues

We currently focus on four main issues: disarmament and security, climate change and energy, questions of who controls science and technology and issues surrounding new and emerging technologies. You will also see that we work on some other issues too. You can explore these with the menu on the left of this page and with the search function. Material in this section includes all SGR's main outputs since 2005, with a selection of the more important material from before then.

Children learn about greener technologies and eco-living

Press release, 21 March 2014
 

Take arms firms out of the Big Bang Fair

Over a dozen SGR members, including Secretary Dr Charalampos Tsoumpas and Sponsor Prof David Webb are among the signatories of a letter to The Guardian newspaper protesting about arms industry sponsorship of the The Big Bang science fair.

12 March 2014
 

Military R&D: Is it helping or hindering our security? (Feb 2014)

Presentation by Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, at Dept of Sociology, Lancaster University

25 February 2014
 

Nuclear weapons over wind turbines? UK R&D policies are warped

Weapons of mass destruction get five times as much public research cash in the UK as renewable energy. Time for a rethink, says Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR

Article in New Scientist, 10 February 2014

 

Total spending on UK nuclear weapons R&D revealed

Press release, 10 February 2014
 

Fossil fuels: more than we can safely burn

Martin Quick CEng discusses concerns about tar sands and shale gas in relation to the drastic reductions in fossil fuel use shown to be needed in the latest IPCC report.

13 January 2014

 

Environmental cohousing: a contribution to sustainable living

Dr Jan Maskell discusses the potential of environmental cohousing to encourage and support sustainable living. She describes the recently completed Lancaster Cohousing project in the UK as an example of what can be achieved.

Article from SGR Newsletter no.42, autumn 2013; published online: 7 January 2014
 

Rethinking security: from projecting power to preventing problems

Dr Chris Langley, SGR, examines how two factors - the embrace of corporate partners by science and technology university departments and the erosion of distinctions between the military and the police - have contributed to disturbing security trends in the UK and elsewhere. The root causes of insecurity meanwhile go unaddressed.

Article published on openDemocracy website, 19 December 2013
 

Top books on science, technology and politics from the last 21 years

Dr Stuart Parkinson picks his choice of the best non-fiction books of recent years to mark SGR’s 21st anniversary.

Article from SGR Newsletter no.42, autumn 2013; published online: 19 December 2013
 

Scientists criticise arms industry sponsorship of Edinburgh science festival

Press release and open letter, 13 December 2013