A nonprofit founded in 1969 that applies independent scientific analysis and advocacy to climate, energy, agriculture and nuclear weapons policy in the United States.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is a nonprofit organisation founded in 1969 by scientists and students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its stated purpose is to put rigorous, independent science to work on pressing global problems, combining technical analysis with advocacy for practical policy solutions. More than five decades of operation have followed.
UCS works across a set of technical domains: climate science, clean energy, transportation, sustainable agriculture, nuclear weapons, and science and democracy, alongside technical policy analysis. These map to industry verticals including environmental advocacy, climate and energy policy, agriculture policy, nuclear weapons policy and science policy. The organisation describes its staff as scientists, engineers, economists and advocates. Its geographic presence is in the United States.
The organisation publishes a set of core values: science in service of people and the planet; justice and equity for all communities; courage to take principled stands; integrity in examining evidence; democracy that promotes a voice for all; and action that encourages people to build a healthier, safer and more just world. A focus on racial equity and environmental justice runs through its work.
