Irresponsible Science

The report identifies a pattern of financial ties—including funding, sponsorship, and investments—between the UK's professional science and engineering bodies and the fossil fuel and arms sectors. It highlights that organisations such as the Royal Academy of Engineering, EngineeringUK, and the Energy Institute received significant funding and promoted these industries despite their ethical shortcomings regarding carbon emissions and human rights.

• There is a previously unrecognised pattern of financial connections between the fossil fuel and arms industries and leading UK professional engineering and science organisations, manifesting as corporate membership, major donations, investments, sponsorship of prestige conferences and dinners, and funding and branding of school education programmes.
• The Royal Academy of Engineering, EngineeringUK, and the Energy Institute were the professional organisations that received the most significant funding from the fossil fuel and arms industries.
• Influential professional science and engineering bodies have prominently or preferentially promoted the fossil fuel and arms sectors, despite these industries failing to reduce carbon emissions at the necessary scale or exporting weapons that contribute to human rights abuses and conflict.

APA

Parkinson, S., & Wood, P. (2019). Irresponsible Science. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/publications/irresponsible-science

Chicago

Parkinson, Stuart, and Philip Wood. Irresponsible Science. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2019. https://www.sgr.org.uk/publications/irresponsible-science.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parkinson |first1=Stuart |last2=Wood |first2=Philip |title=Irresponsible Science |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=October 2019 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/publications/irresponsible-science |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parkinson2019irresponsible, author = {Parkinson, Stuart and Wood, Philip}, title = {{Irresponsible Science}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/publications/irresponsible-science}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }