Statement issued by the Coordinating Committee of Scientists for Global Responsibility on 22 September 2001

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) condemns the September 11 attacks but warns that US military action in Afghanistan risks civilian casualties and regional instability. The statement argues that global security is undermined by high armament spending and inequality, and calls for the abandonment of the US missile defence programme. SGR further advocates for a strong enforcement regime for the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention and the elimination of nuclear fuel reprocessing to prevent terrorist acquisition of fissile materials.

• SGR warns that US military retaliation in Afghanistan risks increasing civilian deaths and destabilising a region containing nuclear weapons in Pakistan and India.
• The document asserts that the US missile defence systems proposed by President Bush would not have prevented the September 11 attacks and could trigger a global arms race.
• SGR calls for the immediate implementation of a strong enforcement regime for the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention and the elimination of nuclear fuel reprocessing to mitigate the threat of terrorist use of chemical, biological, or nuclear materials.
• The statement highlights a disparity between global armament spending, which is nearly $1 trillion annually, and the funding provided for natural disasters and poverty alleviation.
• SGR specifically opposes the planned approval of the Sellafield MoX plant in the UK, citing risks of plutonium seizure by terrorists and the dangers of a worldwide plutonium shipment network.

APA

Scientists for Global Responsibility (2001). Statement issued by the Coordinating Committee of Scientists for Global Responsibility on 22 September 2001. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/terrorist-attack-usa-september-11th-2001-sgr-statement

Chicago

Scientists for Global Responsibility. Statement issued by the Coordinating Committee of Scientists for Global Responsibility on 22 September 2001. 2001. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/terrorist-attack-usa-september-11th-2001-sgr-statement.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Scientists for Global Responsibility |title=Statement issued by the Coordinating Committee of Scientists for Global Responsibility on 22 September 2001 |date=22 September 2001 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/terrorist-attack-usa-september-11th-2001-sgr-statement |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{scientistsforglobalresponsibility2001statement, author = {{Scientists for Global Responsibility}}, title = {{Statement issued by the Coordinating Committee of Scientists for Global Responsibility on 22 September 2001}}, publisher = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2001}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/terrorist-attack-usa-september-11th-2001-sgr-statement}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }