Responsible Science

Science and technology develop with astonishing speed raising constant questions about their responsible practice. Our Responsible Science blog is where we tackle these issues as they arise. Please get in touch if there is something happening on our agenda that you think we should know about or would like to suggest an article.

Martin Ryle, war and peace

Dr Alan Cottey gives a brief account of Martin Ryle's intense and complex relations with war and peace. This article is part of the marking of the centenary of Sir Martin Ryle (1918 - 1984).

15 August 2018

Mount Plutonium: the UK’s toxic, security risk left by an energy revolution that never happened

With nuclear issues leading the global political agenda, in an exclusive piece for the Responsible Science blog, based on his new book Fallout: A Journey Through the Nuclear Age, From the Atom Bomb to Radioactive Waste, science writer Fred Pearce exposes the toxic and security risks of the UK's growing 'Mt Plutonium' - 130 tons and rising of plutonium dioxide left behind by an energy technology that never took-off and is no longer wanted.

13 June 2018

A man ahead of his time – How Martin Ryle saw the future of energy

In the first of two articles marking the centenary of former Astronomer Royal, Martin Ryle (1918–1984), Dr Alan Cottey describes how, early on, he saw the flaws in nuclear and fossil fuel energy and how renewables were the answer.

8 May 2018

Good money after bad oil: the intergenerational burden of public subsidies to North Sea oil & gas

North Sea oil began flowing into the UK economy in 1975 and production peaked in 1999. Ever since, the industry has faced inevitable decline. Now, writes Andrew Simms, a new report reveals how decommissioning its infrastructure is raising questions of cost, contradictions in climate and energy policy, and the prospect of a huge bill being passed on to the next generation.

30 April 2018