— Ch. 1 · Founding And Early Mission —
Union of Concerned Scientists.
~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
The Union of Concerned Scientists emerged in 1969 from the halls of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Faculty and students gathered to draft a founding document that explicitly rejected military technology as the primary focus for research applications. They sought instead to turn scientific efforts toward solving pressing environmental and social problems. One co-founder was physicist Henry Kendall, who later won a Nobel Prize and served many years as chairman of the board. The organization's initial goal was to initiate a critical examination of government policy where science held actual or potential significance.
Scientific Warnings And Petitions
In 1992, Henry Kendall presided over the World Scientists' Warning to Humanity. This document called for fundamental change to address security and environmental issues. It bore signatures from 1700 scientists, including a majority of Nobel prize winners in the sciences. Five years later, the group presented their World Scientists Call For Action petition to world leaders negotiating the Kyoto Protocol. More than 1500 distinguished senior scientists signed this declaration, asserting a discernible human influence on global climate. When an opposing petition circulated with more than 17000 science graduates, UCS labeled it a deliberate attempt to deceive the community with misinformation.