Responsible Science no. 8

Responsible Science is SGR’s journal in which we explore some of the biggest ethical challenges facing science and technology today. It comes with membership of SGR and keeps you up-to-date with what we’re doing as an independent, membership organisation made up of hundreds of natural scientists, social scientists, engineers and people who are simply interested. Contents include in-depth feature articles, reviews and news on SGR's activities.

April 2026
 

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In issue no.8...
 

  • Editorial by Andrew Simms: The challenge of war, climate chaos & unaccountable cyber power

Feature articles

  • Military spending surge is critical threat to climate
    • Spending on the world’s militaries is climbing rapidly. Dr Stuart Parkinson summarises SGR's major new report examining how this rise is affecting carbon emissions.
  • 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup to be most polluting ever
    •  New research from SGR and collaborators finds that the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup Finals are set to be the most polluting World Cup ever, with extreme heat risks to players and fans raising urgent safety concerns. 
  • Polluter and cyber elites – a lethal alignment
    • Andrew Simms
  • Climate Plunder: How a powerful few are locking the world into disaster 
    • Astrid Nilsson Lewis
  • Are we in the Intelligence Age? 
    • James Parr
  • The AI surge: how sustainability and responsibility  are being compromised
    • Dr Philip Inglesant, SGR, looks at key developments in the civilian Artificial Intelligence industry over the past year, especially the massive spending increases, the rapid expansion in the number of data centres, and the continued deregulation. He points to numerous problems ahead.  
  • The hidden carbon footprint of the Winter Olympics
    • Dr Stuart Parkinson and Andrew Simms summarise SGR's new report showing how induced GHG emissions from high carbon sponsorship push up the climate impacts of the Winter Games. 
  • Greenland: reflections from an Arctic researcher
    • Michaela Louise Coote, of the universities of Lapland and Galway, discusses the serious difficulties in carrying out scientific research in the Arctic against a background of major geopolitical upheaval.  
  • US nuclear weapons return to the UK ready for the RAF
    • The UK government has announced a new nuclear role for the Royal Air Force using US bombs and aircraft. Dr Philip Webber, SGR, explores the disturbing implications of this surprise announcement.
  • The legacy of chemical weapons, a century on from the ban
    • Bryony Maskell reflects on developments in the hundred years since chemical weapons fell under the first effective international prohibition treaty.
  • Disciplining dissent: UK universities, the arms industry, and protest
    • Laura Shewan, SGR, describes the increasingly close relationship between the military-industrial complex and the academic sector in Britain. She also highlights the increasing antagonism of university authorities to protest against that relationship.   

News from SGR

  • More SGR reports on military carbon emissions
  • New SGR reports on carbon footprints of  Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup   
  • New SGR project on militarisation of science education
  • Other activities on nuclear weapons and peace  
  • Other activities on climate change
  • Who’s Who in SGR
  • Obituary: Prof Pauline Harrison, 1926-2024
  • Obituary: Dr Eva Novotny, 1934–2025 

Updates 

  • New on the SGR website

Book review

  • Towards convivial sciences: uniting strands of critical inquiry

Event review

  • SGR's 2025 Conference
    Polluter and cyber elites: a lethal alignment? 
Cover of RS journal 8