Irresponsible Science?

The report evaluates the Institute of Physics (IOP), finding a contradiction between its environmental commitments and its financial practices. While the IOP maintains an ISO 14001 compliant environmental management system and endorsed the 2015 Climate Communiqué, it lacks a formal ethical investment policy. Analysis of available data shows that approximately 22% of the identified portion of its £22.1 million investment portfolio was held in the fossil fuel sector, including a 2.1% holding in BP. Additionally, the report highlights extensive ties to the arms industry, particularly the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), which has been a consistent sponsor of the IOP's Awards Dinner and other events. The report also notes that 16% of the IOP's board of trustees have strong connections to the arms industry.

• The Institute of Physics (IOP) maintains a formal environmental management system that adheres to the ISO 14001 international standard and has committed to "contributing to the reduction of local, national and global environmental damage."
• The IOP endorsed the joint Climate Communiqué prior to the 2015 Paris Agreement negotiations, which urged governments to take "immediate action to avert the serious risks of climate change."
• Of the approximately £22.1 million in investments held by the IOP, data was available for only about 10% of the funds; within that subset, approximately 22% was invested in the fossil fuel sector, with BP representing 2.1% of total investments.
• The IOP lacks a specific ethical investment policy, and its annual report indicates that "no investments are blacklisted."
• The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), which manufactures the UK's nuclear warheads, has been a prominent sponsor of the IOP's Awards Dinner from 2015 to 2018, serving as the sole lead or 'laser' sponsor in 2015.
• Arms corporations provided a significant portion of funding for prestigious IOP events; for example, Northrop Grumman, a major arms corporation, was the 'platinum' sponsor for the 2017 International Conference on Women in Physics, providing more than half of the conference's sponsorship income.
• The IOP has structural links to the arms industry, with 16% of its 19 trustees and board members having strong connections to arms companies or Ministry of Defence research.
• The IOP's publications and services generate revenue from the arms industry, including advertisements for MBDA and AWE in PhysicsWorld and a featured employer advertisement for MBDA on brightrecruits.com costing £795 per week.

APA

Scientists for Global Responsibility (n.d.). Irresponsible Science? https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/11-Institute_of_Physics.pdf

Chicago

Scientists for Global Responsibility. Irresponsible Science? n.d. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/11-Institute_of_Physics.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Scientists for Global Responsibility |title=Irresponsible Science? |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-10/11-Institute_of_Physics.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/2019-10/11-Institute_of_Physics.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }