News

Below is a selection of the latest content on the Scientists for Global Responsibility website.

For a full list of all the content on our website, see the Resources pages.

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Resources

Dr Stuart Parkinson and Andrew Simms summarise SGR’s new research on the greenhouse gas emissions of the global football sector, and explore whether reducing the carbon footprint of football can help accelerate wider climate action.

3 February 2025

Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, highlights a range of problems with current science policies, and suggests ways in which they could better contribute to tackling the polycrisis and meeting social and environmental goals.

7 January 2025

Prof Gareth Wyn Jones, Bangor University, draws on evidence from physics and biology to economics and political science to explore the effects of greater energy consumption on social and environmental goals. 

5 December 2024
 

Alasdair Beal takes a look at the UK nuclear industry – and finds that the proposed expansion has a workforce problem.

4 December 2024


 

The return of Donald Trump to the US presidency undermines efforts to tackle urgent global risks such as climate change and the threat of nuclear war. Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, gives an overview of the problems and assesses how best to respond.

14 November 2024

With repeated failures to heed warnings from scientists over environmental and health threats, Baroness Natalie Bennett and colleagues argue for major changes to the relationship between science and policy-making.

4 November 2024

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) today called upon the UK government to stop lobbying against a UN resolution to carry out new research on the potential impacts of nuclear war. The research would be the first UN study on this topic since the 1980s.

29 October 2024

Dr Philip Webber, SGR, updates earlier analysis of the considerable humanitarian impacts of the war in Gaza, including probable genocide. In particular, he summarises the role of the arms industries in the USA, UK, and elsewhere.

22 October 2024

 

A new report uncovers the extent to which fossil fuel corporations use the popularity of sport to promote their ‘brand’, and divert attention away from their highly polluting activities.

27 September 2024

Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, summarises the flaws in recent military claims that new arms technologies will markedly reduce civilian casualties or environmental impacts.

10 September 2024

Dr Philip Webber, SGR, warns that another nuclear power plant is at major risk as the war enters new territory - and this plant includes Chernobyl-type reactors.

22 August 2024

 

 

Dr Ian Campbell shows how, on current trends, Britain’s carbon emissions will exceed its fair share of the limit necessary to hit the 1.5°C Paris target within two years. He outlines the key implications for policy-makers and society as a whole.

5 August 2024

Andrew Simms and Leo Murray examine how, if left unaddressed, the manipulation of our behaviour by advertising and fossil fuel industry propaganda will make it impossible to achieve the civilisation-level transformation required for life as we know it to survive the 21st century.

19 July 2024

Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, outlines the history of military involvement in UK universities, from the early 20th century to the present day.

20 June 2024

 

Leading SGR figures outline some policy recommendations for the incoming British government on issues including climate change, energy, military and security, and AI.

18 June 2024 (updated)
 

In this podcast, Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, Olivia Hanks, Green New Deal Group, and Larry Attree, Rethinking Security, discuss Earth system tipping points, Green New Deal proposals, and military v climate spending.

7 June 2024

Andrew Simms, SGR, summarises the overlooked extremism of mainstream political positions on climate breakdown, militarism, and false technological solutions.

20 May 2024

Dr Beth Stratford questions whether there really is a destructive conflict in the urgent next steps for climate action between advocates of ‘degrowth' and 'green growth’. Here she delves into the debate’s background.

13 May 2024

Long established critic of overconsumption and advocate of simpler living, Australian academic Ted Trainer, speaks to SGR’s Andrew Simms about limits to technological responses to the climate and ecological emergency.

13 May 2024

Prof Kevin Anderson, University of Manchester, and researcher Simon Oldridge argue that the UK government’s hydrogen energy plan isn’t green at all: it’s an oil industry swindle designed to continue pollution-as-usual.

24 April 2024
 

The Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine houses the largest nuclear power station in Europe. It is currently in an intensely fought war zone. Dr Philip Webber, SGR, explains some of the risks of radiation releases that this poses, both nationally and internationally.

17 April 2024 (updated)

Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, looks at the ways in which our use of military-friendly language and our acceptance of military funding and branding - including in science and technology - can increase society's acceptance of war.

12 April 2024

Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh, Bath University, argues that when it comes to tackling climate breakdown, changing the behaviour of the world’s high consumers guarantees better results than just trusting to technology.

21 March 2024
 

Dr Philip Webber and Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, assess the scale of the Israeli military assault in comparison with other wars, and consider the possibilities for peace.

13 March 2024 (updated)

Prof Paul Rogers, University of Bradford, examines the interlinkages between the world’s major crises, and outlines some ways forward.

21 February 2024

Andrew Simms, SGR, argues that the vote by Parisians to triple parking charges for SUVs should be the start of a much wider crackdown.

14 February 2024

Prof Steve Thomas, Greenwich University, assesses the considerable obstacles to the UK government’s target for new nuclear power.

9 February 2024 (updated)

Publications

This in-depth report estimates the global carbon footprint of the football sector, including greenhouse gas emissions from: stadiums; travel; merchandise; and sponsorship deals with high carbon corporations. The total emissions are estimated to be equivalent to the whole nation of Austria, with sponsorship emissions being the largest share.

February 2025

SGR's annual journal. Features cover: the costs of war and climate change; system and behaviour change; and false solutions vs. responsible science.

The journal comes with membership of SGR and keeps you up-to-date with our activities.

April 2024

This short technical paper critically examines the progress that the Ministry of Defence has made in meeting carbon targets at its UK military bases. It concludes that the 2025 targets are very weak, and emission reductions to date are mainly due to non-military action.

May 2023

 

Events

SGR online conference and AGM

Videos now available

 


 

Projects

Find out how to make your lifestyle compatible with the 1.5°C climate goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement with our 10 evidence-backed targets.