Join British Pugwash for our latest webinar on 29th September at 17:00.
Aidan Liddle and Dr Rebecca Johnson will be speaking on the current challenges involving nuclear arms control and disarmament.…
Pugwash note on the outcome of the 10th NPT Review Conference
Pugwash notes with regret that the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) have not been able to achieve consensus on a Final Document at the Tenth Review Conference.…
Dr Christopher Watson
With great sadness British Pugwash learned of the death of a former chairman, Dr Christopher Watson, on 17 August.
Christopher had a career spanning 35 years in the UK nuclear industry, including 17 years at Culham, working on Controlled Fusion research (culminating in 5 years on the JET project).…
Pugwash at the 2022 NPT Review Conference
On 12 August 2022 International Pugwash co-hosted a meeting with the Mission of Brazil to the United Nations in the sidelines of the 10th Review Conference of the NPT. More than 50 delegates and experts attended the event, which featured presentations by Professor Paolo Cotta Ramusino (Pugwash Secretary-General), Ambassador Wael Al Assad (Senior Adviser to the Qatari National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons and Pugwash Council Member), Mr.…
Pugwash Note on Present Dangers
The below Pugwash Note was written by Sergio Duarte, President, and Dr Paolo Cotta Ramusino, Secretary-General, of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.
The present global situation is very dangerous.…
Young citizen journalists reporting from international disarmament conferences
Atomic Reporters & SYP UK Partnership:
Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK is pleased to support the work of Atomic Reporters (here), who will be sending a team of citizen journalists to Vienna to cover three back-to-back disarmament conferences this month.…
SYP UK appoint new leadership team
Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK has appointed a new Executive Board. The Board will provide strategic leadership and coordinate the activities of SYP UK members and affiliated groups across the country.
Members of the Executive Board are:
Emily Faux
Emily is a PhD candidate at Newcastle University, researching the intersection between nuclear weapons and popular culture.…
British Pugwash Lecture at Hay – Prof. Dominic Lieven (29th May)
This year’s British Pugwash Lecture at the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts will be given by Professor Dominic Lieven.
He will be presenting his latest work In the Shadow of the Gods.…
A reminder of why nuclear weapons must never be used (VIDEO)
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.…
Note on nuclear risks and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (March 2022)
The below is a British Pugwash Note, prepared by Peter Jenkins CMG, Chairman of British Pugwash. It is titled ‘How high is the risk of nuclear weapon use following the Russian invasion of Ukraine?’…
VIDEO: Small Modular Reactors – Talk by Dr Mamdouh El-Shanawany
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.…
Arms Control Association statement on Ukraine and the nonproliferation regime
The British Pugwash Executive Committee commends the below editorial by Daryl G. Kimball, the Executive Director of the Arms Control Association.
Full article here
Text of the Editorial:
President Vladimir Putin has chosen the path of destruction instead of diplomacy.…
VIDEO: Climate change and coastal nuclear infrastructure
On Wed 6th April, Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) hosted a webinar about the potential impacts of climate change on coastal nuclear infrastructure. The event considered how climate change impacts (eg.…
VIDEO: UK/Kazakh Pugwash Workshop on Nuclear Risk Reduction (30-31 March)
On the 30th and 31st March, British Pugwash and the Pugwash Committee of Kazakhstan held a joint workshop (made up of two sessions) to discuss analysis, ideas and past experiences pertinent to nuclear risk reduction.…
Resources on Ethical Science – Podcasts, Literature, Rotblat
Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK’s Project on Ethical Science has compiled lists of resources to help the STEM community navigate the ethical and social challenges it may face over the coming years.…
VIDEO: Technology & Peace Conference – SYP UK
On the 12th February 2022, Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK hosted its online Annual Conference on the theme of ‘Technology & Peace’. The co-hosts were University of Leicester’s Third Nuclear Age project.…
New article on ‘Delocalization of the Kill Zone’
British Pugwash Executive Committee member Dr David Ellwood has published an article in the most recent edition of the Peace Review – A Journal of Social Justice (here).
A pre-print version (in PDF) of the article can be found here
This edition of the Peace Review focuses on the issue of ‘Lethal Autonomous Weapons’.…
Event: Science & Diplomacy, with Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith, 1st March 2022
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.…
SYP UK sit down with Fabian Hamilton MP (3rd Feb 2022)
On 3rd February at 6pm, Leeds Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK hosted a discussion with Fabian Hamilton MP on the UK’s role in nuclear non-proliferation and arms control.
Fabian is the Shadow Minister for Peace & Disarmament and the MP for Leeds North East.…
VIDEO: Robot wars? Current and future challenges posed by drones and lethal autonomous weapons
On Thursday 25th November, British Pugwash and SYP UK’s Project on Ethical Science co-hosted a panel discussion on the technical, ethical and political challenges posed by drone warfare and lethal autonomous weapons (‘Killer Robots’).
New Research: On Current and Near-Future Missile Defence Systems
British Pugwash Note (Nov 2021) is below and in PDF here. The full report here.
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.…
EuroPugwash workshop on ‘Arms Control: Windows of Opportunities’
On 28th and 29th October, members of British Pugwash’s Executive Committee were pleased to participate in a series of discussions on the future of arms control, Russia-West relations, and future Pugwash activities.…
UK public opinion on ‘First Use’ of nuclear weapons (Oct 2021)
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.…
Oxford SYP: The challenge of radioactive waste disposal (19th Oct)
On Tuesday 19th October, Oxford Student/Young Pugwash hosted an online event on the ‘challenge of UK radioactive waste disposal’.
The speaker was Dr Ian Crossland. Ian is an engineer with over 50 years experience in the nuclear industry, with a focus on decommissioning and radioactive waste management.…
VIDEO: ‘Missile Defence and Strategic Stability in the Hypersonic Age’
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.…
New research on climate change impacts on nuclear security
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’.…
Interview with Prof Dame Ottoline Lesyer (UK Research & Innovation) – SYP UK
In the first episode of Student/Young Pugwash UK’s Project on Ethical Science podcast series, Niamh Healy (UCL) sat down with Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge.…
Interview with Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal (SYP UK)
Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK’s Niamh Healy caught up with Prof. Lord Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, to discuss the ethical and social aspects of science and technology.
Questions covered:
• Why should scientists engage with the public?…
Open Letter to Presidents Biden and Putin regarding the 16th June Summit
Statement prepared by Pugwash Conferences and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Released on 7th June.
An appeal to Presidents Biden and Putin on the occasion of their summit meeting, June 2021.
…Note on Nuclear Weapon Announcements in the UK’s Integrated Review of Security (May 2021)
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.…
VIDEO – Ethical Science events in June
Student/Young Pugwash UK’s Project on Ethical Science held two events in June 2021.
—
Ethical Careers in STEM (June 9th)
A virtual careers event exploring different opportunities available to STEM graduates.…
April 2021 Newsletter – British Pugwash
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)
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: Peace Workshops, SYP UK, March 2021
Throughout March, Student/Young Pugwash (SYP) UK ran a series of online ‘peace workshops’, bringing together international researchers and policy practitioners to discuss opportunities for international co-operation, arms control and peace.
Some of the sessions were recorded (below).…
VIDEO: Ethics & Digital – Feminist cybersecurity and Decolonising AI (5th Nov)
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.…
VIDEO: Science and Indigenous Peoples (24th Nov)
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.…
Video Games and Nuclear Weapons
What role do nuclear weapons play in popular culture, like video games?
To celebrate national video games day on 12/9, SYP UK’s Emily Faux will host a discussion with 4 experts:
- Dr Megan Condis (TexasTech University)
- Dr Cameron Hunter (University of Leicester)
- Professor Joseph November (University of South Carolina)
- Rebekah Pullen (McMaster University)
Tune in at 5pm BST / 12pm EST on September 12th!…