Newsletter articles

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)
 

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)
 

18 months have passed since the massive earthquake and tsunami off the east coast of Japan triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident. Dr Ian Fairlie and Dr Stuart Parkinson, SGR, give an overview of why the nuclear disaster happened, why it is still occurring, and its implications to date.

Article from SGR Newsletter, no. 41, autumn 2012 (published online: 22 October 2012)
 

Dr Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Institute, highlights the limited progress in nuclear disarmament since the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, she argues that new academic research can help to reframe nuclear threats, providing future opportunities for more effective international initiatives to ban nuclear weapons.

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

Dr Philip Webber, SGR, assesses the lessons for UK energy policy from a series of award-winning programmes using micro-renewable energy technologies and domestic energy conservation measures in West Yorkshire, and from new academic research on city-level sustainable energy programmes.

Article from SGR Newsletter no.41, autumn 2012 (advanced online publication: 3 September 2012)
 

Prof Noel Sharkey, Sheffield University, outlines the disturbing trends in military robotics, including armed drones.

Article from SGR Newsletter no. 40, autumn 2011 (published online: 5 January 2012)

Martin Quick CEng, SGR, critically examines the rapidly expanding shale gas industry, in particular its claimed role in helping to reduce carbon emissions.

Article from SGR Newsletter no. 40, autumn 2011 (published online 14 December 2011)
 

Dr Joanna Haigh, Imperial College London, outlines the range of options currently being investigated by researchers and technologists to modify the climate system to try to prevent dangerous climate change - but finds that there are no 'magic bullets' here.

14 December 2011

With energy use in buildings being a major contributor to carbon emissions, reducing that energy use is a goal that is gaining considerable support. However, Genevieve Jones, SGR, argues that if there is too much focus on using technology to achieve that goal, and not enough on considering human behaviour, energy use may actually be increased rather than reduced.

Article from SGR Newsletter no. 40, autumn 2011 (published online 14 December 2011)
 

Dr Bronislaw Szerszynski, Lancaster University, argues that when it comes to new technologies, technical risk assessment is not enough.

Article from SGR Newsletter no. 40, autumn 2011 (published online 6 December 2011)