SGR: Promoting ethical science and technology SGR Wave

Join SGR

SGR Newsletters

SGR produces its Newsletter twice yearly, in Summer and Winter. This is distributed FREE to all members and is available to non-members at a cost of £3.50 - see ordering.

This interesting and influential publication contains articles on controversial issues in science and technology, conference and book reviews, and updates on SGR activities. If you are interested in writing an article for the next newsletter, please contact the Newsletter Editor <newsletter@sgr.org.uk>.

Recent issues of the Newsletter are listed below and, with the exception of the current issue, are available electronically as PDF documents which can be downloaded free of charge from our Downloads Page. When an article is highlighted it means that it is available elsewhere on the site (eg SGR conference reports).

In October 2005, SGR and Architects and Engineers for Social Responsibility (AESR) merged and now produce a combined Newsletter. Before that, both issued their own Newsletters (see below).

2008 2007 2006 2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999


2008
 

NL35: Winter

News from SGR includes...

  • 'A few words...' column on the links between peace and environmental issues
  • recent research activities on miltary involvement in science and technology, nuclear weapons
  • recent education and campaigning activities on issues including ethical careers, climate change, renewable energy and nuclear power

Feature articles include...

  • Military R&D 85 times larger than renewable energy R&D
    Stuart Parkinson and Chris Langley outline SGR's latest research whose revelations include statistics from across the industrialised world showing the massive imbalance between government R&D spending for military purposes and that for social and environmental purposes.
  • Could one Trident submarine cause 'nuclear winter'?
    Philip Webber analyses the latest research on the potential climatic impacts of nuclear war and demonstrates that the firepower of just one of the UK's Trident submarines could be devastating for the whole planet.
  • The employment benefits of not replacing Trident
    Steven Schofield argues that investing the billions earmarked for Trident replacement in alternative sectors would more than offset the job losses in the nuclear weapons sector.
  • Peak oil: why it will not help the climate change problem
    Mandy Meikle argues that the problems of peak oil and climate change must be tackled together.
  • The CO2 and H2O costs of bathing
    Alan Cottey compares the main environmental impacts of a bath, a shower and a stand-up wash.
  • Undermining democracy in the planning process
    David Grove examines the government's recent white paper on planning and finds much cause for concern.
  • Measures of success: two steps closer to ending the arms trade
    Beccie D'Cunha describes two recent, important victories.
  • US 'missile defence' in Europe: who needs it?
    David Webb suggests current US plans for missile defence may cause more problems than they solve.
  • The grim reality of robots at war
    Noel Sharkey gives a stark warning about the potential for a robot arms race.
  • Can large-scale biofuels be sustainable?
    Almuth Ernsting assesses the current social and environmental impacts of large-scale biofuel production and questions whether 'sustainability standards' will be enough to prevent serious problems.
  • The universal ethical code for scientists - how good is it?
    Stuart Parkinson examines the new ethical code for scientists and engineers and asks: just how good is an ethical code that doesn't prohibit work on weapons of mass destruction?

PRICE: £3.50 plus p&p - order here

N.B. Free copies are available to members and associate members of SGR

2007
 

NL34: Summer

Articles:

  • Iran’s nuclear strategy: civil or military?
  • The potential of power from deserts
  • Vision Zero: time to put an end to death and serious injuries on our roads
  • GM trials return to the UK
  • Patents and conflicts of interest: are scientists acting ethically?
  • Climate change ­ the latest findings of the IPCC
  • Common climate myths
  • Building hope: global network tackles humanitarian problems
  • Walking in minefields
  • Biofuels for transport: how far can we go?

[Download PDF, 1.2MB]

NL33: Winter

Articles:

  • Sustainable Energy at the Local Level - Making it Happen;
  • Predators, Drones and Robofly: Robotics and the military;
  • Moving beyond terrorism in the security debate;
  • Biofuels for transport - a dangerous distraction?;
  • Skills shortages - will nuclear or renewables lose out?;
  • Right to Choose?

[Download PDF, 1.04MB]

2006
 

June: NL32

Articles:

  • Recent developments in the nuclear weapons and nuclear power debates;
  • Imbalance between military resources and those devoted to meeting basic human needs;
  • Energy payback of nuclear power compared with other sources;
  • Openness in the nuclear debates;
  • Renewable energy resources available for meeting energy demand in the UK;
  • Policy for managing the risks of nanotechnology;
  • Collapse of UK clinical research and its consequences;
  • Modern manifestation of empire;
  • An ethical pledge for graduates

[Download PDF, 1.29MB]

2005
 

December: NL31

Articles:

  • News From SGR and AESR;
  • Elsewhere in the News;
  • New Orleans - a tragedy waiting to happen?;
  • Torture Technology;
  • Science, technology and GM;
  • Aldermaston's nuclear weapons project;
  • Summer 2005 - Portents of things to come;
  • Hurricanes and climate change

[Download PDF, 953KB]

February:     Special Joint Issue with Architects and Engineers for Social Responsibility (AESR)

Articles:

  • News From SGR;
  • News from AESR;
  • Elsewhere In The News;
  • Challenging the Military Involvement in Science and Technology;
  • Slow Cities;
  • Energy, CO2 and Economic Growth;
  • Keeping Cool, Keeping Dry;
  • An Issue of Science

[Download PDF, 320KB]


SGR Newsletters

AESR Newsletters

 

2004

 

July:   NL29

Articles: News From SGR; Elsewhere In The News; SGR Makes The Case For An Ethical Science Policy; Pesticides to Permaculture; Science Aid; GM Maize; The GM Debate [Download PDF, 449KB]

June

Articles: A Scenario For Fossil and Nuclear-free Electricity for the UK; Top-Up Fees for TNCS (Roy Butterfield); Engineering: Rising to the Modern Challenge (Bill Cranston) [Download PDF, 1.04MB]

January

Articles: Yorkshire Renewable Energy Network; GATS, A Weapon of Social Destruction; Integrated Transport In London and Tower Hamlets; Water Management In The Ancient World; Regional Disparities Without End? [Download PDF, 980KB]

 

2003

 

November: NL28

Articles: A Few Words From The Director; The Risk of Nuclear Terrorism; Nuclear Weapons Awareness Programme; An End to the UK's Nuclear Weapons; Stormy Times for Climate Research; Sociobiology of Vaccination [Download PDF, 533KB]

July:   NL27

Articles: A Few Words From The Executive Director; Help Recruit New Members; 'Ask An Expert'; SGR Recruits Its First Executive Director; Nuclear Winter; Nuclear Waste; Strategic Viewpoints Of Responsible American Scientists [Download PDF, 324KB]

February: NL26

Articles: From The Chair; GM Matters; Knowledge: Common Heritage not Private Property; Another Knowledge, Another World; Science, Knowledge, Wisdom & Public Good; Responses to the Convention; Why Not Commercialise Biomedical Research; Vested Interests in Science; The Future of Science in Relation to the Patenting; The Human Genome; Open Knowledge; Knowledge Bank [Download PDF, 354KB]

September

Articles: Knowlege - Common and Open - An Essay On 'Open Knowledge' by Alan Cottey; Understanding the Military Influence on Science and Technology (SGR Research Project) [Download PDF, 1.00MB]

June

Articles: Energy: Security and Sustainability; Intellectual Property Rights, Food Security and Farmers' Rights; GATS Attack - The Effect on Education; The Effect of GATS on Local Government [Download PDF, 1.48MB]

 

2002

 

July:   NL25

Articles: From The Chair; Can scientists be trusted?; The US-Russian Nuclear Arms Treaty, Battling for Monsanto, The Chardon Hearing, Nuclear Threats Against Iraq, Summary of INES/SGR ‘New Security - Global and Regional Priorities’ Seminar
[Download PDF, 226KB]

February: NL24

Articles:From The Chair; Terrorism and the Arms Trade; Could Terrorists Turn the UK into a Nuclear Wasteland, Response to September 11th, Media Lens, Eugene Rabinowitch, "Myth of Chernobyl"?, Nuclear Proliferation [Download PDF, 322KB]

November

Articles: A Balkan Peace Park in the Making; Report on MOD Objections to Onshore Wind Farms; Seed Bank: Report by Imperial College, London; Cities Are Good For Us: Urban Governance - Thinking Globally, Acting Locally (Molly O'Meara Sheehan) [Download PDF, 1.18MB]

July

Articles: Coin Streen Housing, London: Social Housing Development; The Energy Review; Sustainability Fatigue Syndrome [Download PDF, 1.12MB]

February

Articles: The UK and Star Wars; Sustainability - the Impossible Dream?; Global GM Crop Plantings Top 120 Million Acres; "Sustainability" - What Does It Really Mean For The Civil Engineer? [Download PDF, 2.37MB]

 

2001

 

July:   NL23

Articles: Weapons in Space; Star Wars - Space Control and Domination; A Few Words From the Chair; Alan James Mayne, an Obituary; Your Website; Activity on Genetic Engineering of Crops; New SGR National Coordinating Committee; Make Space for Cooperation; Announcing SGR's Issue Groups; Elsewhere In The News; Star Wars - The Next Generation: The Space Based Laser; How Should UK Science Be Funded [Download PDF, 272KB]

February: NL22

Articles: Moving into the New Millennium, International Week of Science and Peace 2000, SGR Presents Evidence to GM Maize Hearing, David Willey 1931 - 2000, How Green is the Media Jungle?, Slight Lifting of Israel's Nuclear Secrecy, So What Did Happen at the Climate Negotiations?, India's Nuclear Doctrine - the Responsibility of the Other Nuclear States [Download PDF, 203KB]

September

Articles: The Government's Energy Policy Review; The Fight Against Corporate Plunder; The Environmental Impact of the Motor Car [Download PDF, 1.64MB]

May

Articles: Making Effective Use Of Fuel Taxes; Vehicle Fuels Allocation: The Key To Social Justice In Transport Planning; Market Forces Rule OK? [Download PDF, 1.34MB]

 

2000

 

Autumn: NL21: Special Issue on Information Technology

Articles: Strategic Routes to Greater Influence, Raising the Game: a Strategy for Modernising SGR, Careers Which Don't Cost the Earth - Project Update, Media Mergers Give Cause for Concern, IT - the Key to Taking Open Science Forward, Emerging Information Systems Present New Views, Why Nuclear Reprocessing at Sellafield Must Stop [Download PDF, 266KB]

Spring: NL20: Special Issue on Climate Change

Articles: Slow Progress at Climate Change Negotiations, The Clean Development Mechanism - Opportunity or Loophole?, IPCC - an Update, What Future for Fusion Power?, Forestry & Climate Change, The Climate Care Label, Information Technology, Transport  & the Environment, Nuclear Arms Reduction - a Glimmer of Hope?, Reprocessing at Sellafield (Pt 2), Hague Appeal for Peace (review), Genetic Engineering & You (review) [Download PDF, 232KB]

December

Articles: ZED Cars - (Zero Emissions Development); Poverty and Globalisation [Download PDF, 911KB]

June

Articles: Bedzed Development; Consequences of Engineering; Climate Change - UK Programme; Why Free Trade Is A Myth; Sustainable Development and Integrated Transport - A Practitioner's Perspective [Download PDF, 2.03MB]

 

1999

 

Summer: NL19: Special Issue on Nuclear Issues

Articles: Global Nuclear Stockpiles, A Disarmament Role for Aldermaston?, Nuclear Power in Eastern Europe, The Compleat Gamekeeper - Nuclear Safeguards in Britain, US Holding Plutonium from UK Civil Stockpile, Reprocessing at Sellafield (Pt 1), Akkuyu Nuclear Plant in Turkey [Download PDF, 226KB]

 

December

Articles: AGM Report; Extracts from INES Newsletter 26 (Tree Planting in Scotland, Monsanto Monopolies); WTO Services by Susan George [Download PDF, 1.65MB]

 
Contact SGR
Join SGR
To Home Page

Send correspondence about the web-site to <webmanager@sgr.org.uk>
This page last updated: 9th February
© SGR 1997-2008