Issues: Security and disarmament

Security and disarmament

SGR produces a range of resources on the issue of 'security and disarmament'. This covers military technologies, arms control and disarmament (esp. nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, ‘Missile Defense’, conventional weapons) - as well as alternative concepts of security, peace building and conflict prevention.

Scientists and engineers have a central role in the development of weapons and therefore share a special responsibilty to society. SGR's project work has investigated the extensive influence that the military has over science and technology.

Conflict and climate change - film

Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, appears in a new film produced by the Movement for the Abolition of War.

2 October 2013

 

UK military R&D is aggressive and counter-productive

Why is the UK government focusing R&D spending on offensive weapons in preference to tackling the roots of conflict?

Article by Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, on The Guardian's Political Science blog, 30 September 2013
 

New SGR report uncovers aggressive focus of UK military research and development

The UK government’s military research and development (R&D) spending is heavily focused on offensive weapons systems, which do not tackle the main threats to our security, says a report out today.

Press release, 30 September 2013
 

From Militarism to Sustainability

Campaigning for ethical engineering and science in the UK

A chapter, written by Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, in a new book entitled Peace Engineering: When personal values and engineering careers converge

1 September 2013
 

Is military involvement with science underming our security?

Military use of science and technology is commonly argued to be good for our security. Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, presents a range of evidence to show that this view has major flaws, and argues for a change in priorities for security R&D.

Presentation at Leeds Headingley Cafe Scientifique, 14 May 2013 (references updated 3 June 2013)
 

The humanitarian and climatic impacts of the use of the UK’s nuclear weapons

Dr Philip Webber, SGR, presents the evidence that the launch of the nuclear missiles of just one Trident submarine could cause devastating climatic cooling.

Article published in the Nuclear Monitor, 12 April 2013
 

The climatic impacts and humanitarian problems from the use of the UK's nuclear weapons

This briefing presents evidence that the detonation of the nuclear warheads carried on just one UK Trident submarine would lead to vast quantities of smoke being generated that would led to a sharp climate cooling, causing a global crop failure which would threaten the lives of some 1 billion people. This would be in addition to the deaths of over 10 million people killed directly by blast, fire and fallout from the nuclear explosions.

SGR briefing by Dr Philip Webber; 26 February 2013.
 

Humanitarian impacts from a single nuclear weapon detonation on Manchester

Assisted by Dr Philip Webber, SGR, the campaign group Article 36 has published a short case study of the direct humanitarian impacts from a single nuclear weapon detonation on Manchester, UK. This study is intended as a reminder of the devastating impact that just one nuclear warhead - of the size of a Trident warhead - can cause to a city.

26 February 2013

 

The decline of UK military R&D

Latest official statistics show that UK government spending on military research and development has fallen considerably over the last ten years – something that SGR has been calling for. Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, assesses the significance of the changes.

Article from SGR Newsletter 41, autumn 2012 (published online: 22 October 2012)
 

Breaking the deadlock: Iran’s nuclear programme in context

Prof Keith Barnham, Imperial College London, suggests renewable energy technologies can play a key role in arresting the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Article from SGR Newsletter 41, autumn 2012 (published online: 22 October 2012)