Irresponsible Science?

The report examines the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), finding a contradiction between its extensive environmental policies and its financial ties to the arms and fossil fuel sectors. While IMechE promotes climate change mitigation and adaptation, it maintains significant corporate links through event sponsorship and a company-based registration scheme. The report highlights a lack of transparency regarding IMechE's £23.2 million investment portfolio and the absence of an overarching ethical investment policy, though some fund managers apply limited screening against coal and tar sands.

• IMechE maintains extensive environmental policies and leadership themes, explicitly stating the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change and minimize the impact of resource consumption.
• The organization has significant financial links to the fossil fuel and arms industries through event sponsorship and partners. Of 60 main event sponsors, partners, and supporters, 10% are in the fossil fuel sector and 12% are in the arms sector.
• IMechE's 'Company Based Registration' scheme involves corporations from the arms and fossil fuel sectors, including Rolls-Royce, which produces propulsion systems for the UK's nuclear-armed 'Dreadnought' submarines.
• There is a lack of transparency and a lack of an overarching ethical investment policy regarding IMechE's approximately £23.2 million in investments.
• While IMechE lacks its own ethical policy, one of its fund managers, CCLA, excludes companies primarily focused on coal, tar sands, cluster munitions, and landmines, though it does not exclude all fossil fuels.
• The report concludes that only 3% of IMechE's investments, specifically those held as cash, were definitely not invested in the arms or fossil fuel sectors.

APA

Scientists for Global Responsibility (n.d.). Irresponsible Science? https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/10-Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers.pdf

Chicago

Scientists for Global Responsibility. Irresponsible Science? n.d. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/10-Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Scientists for Global Responsibility |title=Irresponsible Science? |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/10-Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{scientistsforglobalresponsibilityndirresponsible, author = {{Scientists for Global Responsibility}}, title = {{Irresponsible Science?}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/10-Institution_of_Mechanical_Engineers.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }