Union of Concerned Scientists

Last updated
Union of Concerned Scientists
Formation1969
Headquarters Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Membership
over 200,000[ citation needed ]
President
Johanna Chao Kreilick [1]
Founder
Kurt Gottfried, Henry Way Kendall
Website www.ucsusa.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is a nonprofit science advocacy organization based in the United States. The UCS membership includes many private citizens in addition to professional scientists. Anne Kapuscinski, Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Coastal Science and Policy Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, currently chairs the UCS Board of Directors, having replaced James J. McCarthy, Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University and past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2015. [2]

Contents

History

The Union of Concerned Scientists was founded in 1969 by faculty and students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The organization's founding document says it was formed to "initiate a critical and continuing examination of governmental policy in areas where science and technology are of actual or potential significance" and to "devise means for turning research applications away from the present emphasis on military technology toward the solution of pressing environmental and social problems." [3] The organization employs scientists, economists, and engineers engaged in environmental and security issues, as well as executive and support staff. [4]

One of the co-founders was physicist and Nobel laureate Henry Kendall, who served for many years as chairman of the board of UCS.[ citation needed ]

In 1992, Kendall presided over the World Scientists' Warning to Humanity, which called for "fundamental change" to address a range of security and environmental issues. The document was signed by 1700 scientists, including a majority of the Nobel prize winners in the sciences. [5] [ non-primary source needed ]

In 1997, the UCS presented their "World Scientists Call For Action" petition to world leaders meeting to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol. The declaration asserted, "A broad consensus among the world's climatologists is that there is now 'a discernible human influence on global climate.'" It urged governments to make "legally binding commitments to reduce industrial nations' emissions of heat-trapping gases", and called global warming "one of the most serious threats to the planet and to future generations." [6] The petition was signed by "more than 1,500 of the world's most distinguished senior scientists, including the majority of Nobel laureates in science." [7] [8] When a petition that questioned the consensus was circulated by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, a small, privately-funded institute, was signed by more than 17,000 science graduates, UCS declared it a "deliberate attempt to deceive the scientific community with misinformation." [9]

In August 2008, the UCS purchased billboards at the airports in Denver, Colorado, and Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, where the Democratic and Republican presidential conventions were to be held. The two nearly identical billboards showed the downtown areas of each convention city in a cross hairs, with the message that "when only one nuclear bomb could destroy a city" like Minneapolis or Denver, "we don't need 6,000." The name of Senator John McCain or Senator Barack Obama follows, with this admonition: "It's time to get serious about reducing the nuclear threat." The billboards were removed after a complaint from Northwest Airlines, the official airline of the Republican convention. The UCS has accused Northwest, whose headquarters were in Minnesota, of "taking on a new role as censor" and of having acted because it regarded the Minneapolis advertisement as "scary" and "anti-McCain." [10] [11] [12]

In June 2020, a UCS staffer named Ruth Tyson resigned and sent a 17-page open letter expressing her opinions on racial inequality in the organization, saying that ideas of black workers were routinely dismissed or given low priority. After reading the letter, UCS president Ken Kimmell responded by saying the criticism was fair, and that he believed it was reflective of a wider culture of white supremacy in society, vowing to address issues and diversify the UCS workforce. [13] His successor, Johanna Chao Kreilick, was chosen in part for "her track record of integrating racial justice into the work and culture of complex organizations". [14]

Funding and governance

According to the George C. Marshall Institute, the UCS was the fourth-largest recipient of foundation grants for "climate-related activities" in the period 2000–2002, a fourth of its $24M grant income being for that purpose. [15] Charity Navigator – an independent non-profit organization that evaluates American charities – gave the UCS a four out of four star rating in the fiscal year ending in September 2018, with an overall score of 91.85 out of 100. [16] According to the organization's IRS Form 990, the UCS received $39.9 million in total revenue and had $3.1 million in expenses and $48.8 million in net assets for the tax year beginning October 1, 2017, and ending September 30, 2018. [17] [ non-primary source needed ]

In February 2004, the UCS published "Scientific Integrity in Policymaking". The report criticized the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush for "politicizing" science. Some of the allegations include altering information in global warming reports by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and choosing members of scientific advisory panels based on their business interests rather than scientific experience.[ citation needed ] In July 2004, the UCS released an addendum to the report in which they criticize the Bush administration and allege that reports on West Virginia strip mining had been improperly altered, and that "well-qualified" nominees for government posts such as Nobel laureate Torsten Wiesel were rejected because of political differences.[ citation needed ] On April 2, 2004, John Marburger, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, issued a statement claiming that incident descriptions in the UCS report are "false", "wrong", or "a distortion", [18] and dismissed the report as "biased". [19] UCS responded to the White House document by saying that Marburger's claims were unjustified.[ citation needed ] UCS later wrote that since that time, the Bush administration has been virtually silent on the issue. [20] [ non-primary source needed ]

Issue stances

UCS has been critical of proposed Generation III reactor designs. Edwin Lyman, a senior staff scientist at UCS, has challenged specific cost-saving design choices made for both the AP1000 and Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor. [21]

The UCS endorsed the 2007 Forests Now Declaration, which calls for new market based mechanism to protect forests, as the group has recognised the importance of curbing deforestation to tackle climate change. [22] [ non-primary source needed ]

The group also supports governmental incentives for people who want to preserve undeveloped land instead of selling it to developers. [23]

It opposes the use of space weapons, and work on reducing the number of nuclear weapons around the world. [24] [ non-primary source needed ]

On October 30, 2006, the UCS issued a press release claiming that high-ranking members of the U.S. Department of the Interior, including Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Julie MacDonald, systematically tampered with scientific data in an effort to undermine the protection of endangered species and the Endangered Species Act. [25] [ non-primary source needed ]

On December 11, 2006, the UCS issued a statement calling for the restoration of scientific integrity to federal policy-making, which was signed by 10,600 leading scientists including Nobel laureates. [26] [ non-primary source needed ]

On May 23, 2007, the UCS cited a joint-study with MIT and issued a press release claiming that "any test of the U.S. missile defense system that does not show whether an interceptor missile can distinguish between real warheads and decoys is irrelevant" and "contrived," and called for an end to the taxpayer-funded program until the system can show an ability to actually address "real world threats." [27] [ non-primary source needed ]

On June 21, 2007, a UCS report charged the EPA with political manipulation of scientific data to influence updated US ozone regulations: "The law says use the science, the science says lower the standard to safe levels," said Francesca Grifo, director of the UCS' Scientific Integrity Program. "In disregarding its own scientists' analysis, the EPA is risking the health of millions of Americans." [28] [ non-primary source needed ]

In March 2011, the UCS held daily telephone media briefings related to the Fukushima nuclear accident. [29] [ non-primary source needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bjørn Lomborg</span> Danish author (born 1965)

Bjørn Lomborg is a Danish author and the president of the think tank Copenhagen Consensus Center. He is the former director of the Danish government's Environmental Assessment Institute (EAI) in Copenhagen. He became internationally known for his best-selling book The Skeptical Environmentalist (2001).

<i>Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists</i> Nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The Bulletin publishes content at both a free-access website and a bi-monthly, nontechnical academic journal. The organization has been publishing continuously since 1945, when it was founded by Albert Einstein and former Manhattan Project scientists as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago immediately following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The organization is also the keeper of the symbolic Doomsday Clock, the time of which is announced each January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War</span> Anti–nuclear power organization

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) is a non-partisan federation of national medical groups in 63 countries, representing doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned people who share the goal of creating a more peaceful and secure world free from the threat of nuclear annihilation. The organization's headquarters is in Malden, Massachusetts. IPPNW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.

The politicization of science for political gain occurs when government, business, or advocacy groups use legal or economic pressure to influence the findings of scientific research or the way it is disseminated, reported or interpreted. The politicization of science may also negatively affect academic and scientific freedom, and as a result it is considered taboo to mix politics with science. Historically, groups have conducted various campaigns to promote their interests in defiance of scientific consensus, and in an effort to manipulate public policy.

"Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science" is the title of a report published by the Union of Concerned Scientists in February, 2004. The report was the culmination of an investigation of the Bush administration's objectivity in science, and ultimately a criticism thereof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Ambient Air Quality Standards</span> US EPA limits on certain air pollutants

The U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards are limits on atmospheric concentration of six pollutants that cause smog, acid rain, and other health hazards. Established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under authority of the Clean Air Act, NAAQS is applied for outdoor air throughout the country.

Myron Ebell is an American climate change denier who served as the Director of Global Warming and International Environmental Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), an American libertarian advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. He was also chairman of the Cooler Heads Coalition, a politically conservative group formed in 1997 focused on "dispelling the myths of global warming by exposing flawed economic, scientific, and risk analysis". In September 2016, Ebell was appointed by then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to lead his transition team for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Steven J. Milloy is a lawyer, lobbyist, author and former Fox News commentator. Milloy is the founder and editor of the blog junkscience.com.

The Mainau Declaration refers to any one of three socio-political appeals by Nobel laureates who participated in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, the annual gathering with young scientists at the German town of Lindau. The name denotes that these declarations were presented on Mainau Island in Lake Constance, the traditional venue of the last day of the one-week meeting.

The "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity" was a document written in 1992 by Henry W. Kendall and signed by about 1,700 leading scientists. Twenty-five years later, in November 2017, 15,364 scientists signed "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice" written by William J. Ripple and seven co-authors calling for, among other things, human population planning, and drastically diminishing per capita consumption of fossil fuels, meat, and other resources. The second notice has more scientist cosigners and formal supporters than any other journal article ever published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Chu</span> American physicist and former U.S. Secretary of Energy (born 1948)

Steven Chu is an American physicist and former government official. He is a Nobel laureate and was the 12th U.S. secretary of energy. He is currently the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University. He is known for his research at the University of California, Berkeley, and his research at Bell Laboratories and Stanford University regarding the cooling and trapping of atoms with laser light, for which he shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics with Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and William Daniel Phillips.

Anti-nuclear organizations may oppose uranium mining, nuclear power, and/or nuclear weapons. Anti-nuclear groups have undertaken public protests and acts of civil disobedience which have included occupations of nuclear plant sites. Some of the most influential groups in the anti-nuclear movement have had members who were elite scientists, including several Nobel Laureates and many nuclear physicists.

The Office of Science is a component of the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The Office of Science is the lead federal agency supporting fundamental scientific research for energy and the Nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences. The Office of Science portfolio has two principal thrusts: direct support of scientific research and direct support of the development, construction, and operation of unique, open-access scientific user facilities that are made available for use by external researchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Brook (scientist)</span>

Barry William Brook is an Australian scientist. He is an ARC Australian Laureate Professor and Chair of Environmental Sustainability at the University of Tasmania in the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology. He was formerly an ARC Future Fellow in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Adelaide, Australia, where he held the Sir Hubert Wilkins Chair of Climate Change from 2007 to 2014. He was also Director of Climate Science at the Environment Institute.

This is a list of notable events relating to the environment in 1992. They relate to environmental law, conservation, environmentalism and environmental issues.

Ozone depletion and climate change, or Ozone hole global warming in more popular terms, are environmental challenges whose connections have been explored and which have been compared and contrasted, for example in terms of global regulation, in various studies and books.

<i>Cowspiracy</i> 2014 American documentary film

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret is a 2014 American documentary film produced and directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. The film explores the impact of animal agriculture on the environment—examining such environmental concerns as climate change, water use, deforestation, and ocean dead zones—and investigates the policies of several environmental organizations on the issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advocates of Science and Technology for the People</span>

Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, or simply Agham, is a non-governmental science advocacy organization based in the Philippines. Founded in 1999 by professors and students of the University of the Philippines Diliman, the group focuses its campaigns and community service in the areas of food security, public utilities, environment, national industrialization, science education, and the welfare of scientists in the country.

The history of climate change policy and politics refers to the continuing history of political actions, policies, trends, controversies and activist efforts as they pertain to the issue of climate change. Climate change emerged as a political issue in the 1970s, when activist and formal efforts sought to address environmental crises on a global scale. International policy regarding climate change has focused on cooperation and the establishment of international guidelines to address global warming. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a largely accepted international agreement that has continuously developed to meet new challenges. Domestic policy on climate change has focused on both establishing internal measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and incorporating international guidelines into domestic law.

References

  1. "Union of Concerned Scientists Names Kreilick as President". Massnonprofit News. April 10, 2021. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  2. Press release announcing Dr. Kapuscinski as the new Board chair. ucsusa.org (2015-10-28). Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  3. Founding Document: 1968 MIT Faculty Statement. Ucsusa.org. Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  4. List of UCS experts Archived October 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. World Scientists' Warning to Humanity (1992). Ucsusa.org (2015-12-22). Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  6. Union of Concerned Scientists. "World Scientists Call For Action". Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Projections indicate that demand for food in Asia will exceed the supply by 2010.
  7. Science DailyOct. 2, 2007 article "World's Nobel Laureates And Preeminent Scientists Call On Government To Halt Global Warming". Sciencedaily.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  8. List of Selected Prominent Signatories with awards and affiliations. Dieoff.org. Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  9. Macilwain, Colin (16 April 1998). "Petition strengthens hand of global warming sceptics". Nature. 392 (6677): 639. Bibcode:1998Natur.392Q.639M. doi: 10.1038/33487 .
  10. Rohter, Larry (21 August 2008). "Ads on Nuclear Threat Removed From Convention Airports". The New York Times.
  11. Ad critical of McCain doesn't fly with NWA. Startribune.com (2008-08-18). Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  12. Hoppin, Jason. (2008-08-19) Northwest bans ad from airport. Twincities.com. Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  13. Fears, Daryl; Mufson, Steven (July 22, 2020). "Liberal, progressive — and racist? The Sierra Club faces its white-supremacist history". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021.
  14. "UCS Announces Incoming President Johanna Chao Kreilick". Union of Concerned Scientists. April 6, 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  15. Funding Flows for Climate Change Research and Related Activities Archived March 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  16. "Union of Concerned Scientists" . Charity Navigator . Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  17. "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax" (PDF). ucsusa.org. Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  18. UCS Response to Congress. Ostp.gov. Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  19. Scientists: Bush Distorts Science Archived February 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. Scientific Integrity in Policymaking Archived April 4, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  21. Adam Piore (June 2011). "Nuclear energy: Planning for the Black Swan". Scientific American.
  22. Forestsnow – Endorsers – NGO and Research Institutes. Forestsnow.org. Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  23. Brower, Michael, Ph.D. and Leon, Warren, Ph.D. The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists 1999, Three Rivers Press.
  24. Nations, United. "Disarmament". United Nations. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  25. Systematic Interference with Science at Interior Department Exposed – Emails and Edited Documents Show Evidence of Inappropriate Manipulation Archived November 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  26. 10,600 Scientists Condemn Political Interference in Science – New Guide Documents Ongoing Federal Abuse of Science; 110th Congress Must Act. Ucsusa.org (2015-12-22). Retrieved on 2015-12-26.
  27. Another Contrived Missile Defense Test is Coming Up – Decoys Would Overwhelm System, Says Union of Concerned Scientists Archived June 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  28. EPA Falls Short of Scientists' Calls for Stricter Controls on Smog – Old standard not enough to protect public health Archived July 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  29. Archived March 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine