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  • HMS Vanguard at Faslane naval base

    British Pugwash

    We use the best scientific expertise to inform the government and the public about issues relating to weapons of mass destruction, war and peace, the environment and the social responsibility of scientists.

  • RAF Reaper at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan

    British Pugwash

    We use the best scientific expertise to inform the government and the public about issues relating to weapons of mass destruction, war and peace, the environment and the social responsibility of scientists.

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Our Patrons

Our Patrons are:
• Lord Martin Rees OM FRS
• Sir Colin Blakemore FMedSci FRS
• Dame Athene Donald DBE FRS
• Sir Timothy Gowers FRS
• Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS
• Prof Margaret MacMillan CH
• General Sir Nick Parker KCB CBE
• Sir Hew Strachan DL FRSE FRHistS
• Prof Angela Vincent FMedSci FRS

Our Activities

Our activities include studies of science and policy issues, regular public discussion and education meetings, and engagement with politicians and government officials.

Our publications include in-depth scientific and policy research, as well as newsletters, our Annual Reports and reports from conferences and events.

Our youth wing, SYP UK, is also extremely active and publishes updates on news and events here

Our Projects

Current projects include research on the ethics of armed robotic systems, the potential impact of emerging technologies on nuclear weapon systems, the climate-nuclear nexus and continued work on future energy options for the UK.

Recent projects include the WMD Awareness public education campaign and efforts to establish a British Disarmament Institute.

Membership

British Pugwash is a membership organisation that brings together scientists and others concerned with international affairs and disarmament.

We are led by our Executive Committee and receive the support of seven Patrons.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee comprises:

• Peter Jenkins CMG (Chairman)
• Dr Ian Crossland (Treasurer)
• Andrew Gibson (Secretary)
• Dr. Christopher Watson
• Dr David Ellwood
• Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany
• Anuradha Damale
• Sally Milne
• Dr Richard Guthrie

Latest publications, events and news
You are here: Home › British Pugwash home

A reminder of why nuclear weapons must never be used (VIDEO)

Published on 28th April 2022 in Nuclear Weapons, International Peace & Security

In the video below, Dr Ira Helfand, co-chairman of the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Committee of Physicians for Social Responsibility, offers a timely reminder of the horrifying power of thermonuclear weapons and of the dire consequences of the political irresponsibility that has left Russia and the United States in possession of 10,000+ nuclear warheads thirty years after the end of the Cold War.…

SMR on a truck

VIDEO: Small Modular Reactors – Talk by Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany

Published on 7th March 2022 in Climate Change and Energy Policy, Recent events, Recently published

On Tues 26th April, British Pugwash hosted a talk and discussion on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), covering issues like costs, security and safeguards.

The talk was given by Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany, Chief Nuclear Advisor at Lloyd’s Register and formerly the Head of Nuclear Safety Assessment Section at the International Atomic Energy Agency.…

Event: Science & Diplomacy, with Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith, 1st March 2022

Published on 10th December 2021 in Current projects – feed, Events, Ethics of Science, Recent events, Student Young Pugwash Events

On Tuesday 1st March, Oxford Student/Young Pugwash hosted Prof. Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith for a talk and discussion about the relationship between science and diplomacy.

Sir Christopher is a theoretical physicist and was knighted ‘for services to particle physics’ in 2001.…

New Research: On Current and Near-Future Missile Defence Systems

Published on 4th November 2021 in Uncategorised

British Pugwash Note (Nov 2021) is below and in PDF here. The full report here.

THAAD missile defence system (plus stars)British Pugwash commissioned a study from Harry Spencer, a postgraduate scholar at the University of Birmingham, which addresses the capabilities and effectiveness of current and near-future missile defence against traditional and hypersonic missiles.…

UK public opinion on ‘First Use’ of nuclear weapons (Oct 2021)

Published on 15th October 2021 in Nuclear Weapons, Current projects – feed, Recently published

British Pugwash note: Two Thirds of UK Public Opposed to “First Use” of Nuclear Weapons (PDF report here)

The “Interim National Security Strategic Guidance” of the United States, released on 3 March 2021, states that the Biden administration will take steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national security strategy, while ensuring that the U.S.…

hypersonic missile

VIDEO: ‘Missile Defence and Strategic Stability in the Hypersonic Age’

Published on 2nd September 2021 in Emerging Technologies and the Impact on Strategic Stability, Current projects – feed, Recent events

This year’s post-AGM Lecture was held on 22nd September.

The title was: ‘Missile Defence and Strategic Stability in the Hypersonic Age’

It was given by Harry Spencer, a postgraduate at University of Birmingham, speaking about his ongoing research with British Pugwash on missile defence systems, hypersonics and strategic stability.…

Trident submarine at Faslane

New research on climate change impacts on nuclear security

Published on 21st July 2021 in Climate Change and Energy Policy, Trident, Current projects – feed, Recently published

British Pugwash is pleased to release newly commissioned research about the potential impacts of climate change on the UK’s nuclear weapons infrastructure.

The report, by Dr Sally Brown from Bournemouth University, is titled ‘Risks of sea-level rise to ports and associated facilities aligning with the Trident programme: A focus on Coulport, Faslane, Barrow-in-Furness and Devonport’.…

Note on Nuclear Weapon Announcements in the UK’s Integrated Review of Security (May 2021)

Published on 17th May 2021 in Nuclear Weapons, Recently published

The below is a summary of and link to a commentary by Ambassador Peter Jenkins, Chair of British Pugwash. 

Summary

The United Kingdom government recently announced, in the context of an integrated policy review, that it will move to an overall nuclear weapon stockpile of no more than 260 (from a previous target of no more than 180) and that it will extend its longstanding policy of deliberate ambiguity by no longer making public figures for its operational stockpile, deployed warheads and deployed missiles.…

April 2021 Newsletter – British Pugwash

Published on 22nd April 2021 in Newsletters

Topics covered in the British Pugwash April 2021 Newsletter include:

  • OxPeace 2021 – Peace in the Nuclear Era (Conference) – 15th May
  • British Pugwash Lecture at Hay – Margaret MacMillan – 1st June
  • A selection of articles from around the web
  • VIDEO – Cyber & Digital in Warfare (SYP UK workshop)

The newsletter can be found online here…

British Pugwash statement on the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (March 2021)

Published on 18th March 2021 in Trident, Current projects – feed, Recently published

British Pugwash is troubled to note the UK Government’s decisions, announced in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, to increase the UK’s stockpile of nuclear warheads and no longer to reveal the number of these weapons that will be kept operational.…

VIDEO: Ethics & Digital – Feminist cybersecurity and Decolonising AI (5th Nov)

Published on 26th November 2020 in Current projects – feed, Ethics of Science, Remote Control Weaponry, Recent events, Recently published, Student Young Pugwash Events

In this SYP UK webinar, Dr Kanta Dihal (Leverhulme Future of Intelligence Centre) discussed her work on Decolonising AI and Julia Slupska (Digital Ethics Lab) talked about feminist cybersecurity.

The Chair was Niamh Healy (UCL), SYP UK President.…

face with stars in brain image

VIDEO: Science and Indigenous Peoples (24th Nov)

Published on 11th November 2020 in Current projects – feed, Ethics of Science, History, Recent events, Recently published, Student Young Pugwash Events

In this webinar, SYP UK hosted Riley Taitingfong and Dr Hilding Neilson discussed science and technology from the perspective of Indigenous communities.

Riley Taitingfong, a PhD candidate at UCSD (here), introduced her work on gene drives on Pacific Ocean islands in the context of historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and military experimentation.…