A photo from the archives
Smithsonian Institution/Florence Haseltine
关于

历史

We’ve spent fifty proud years tackling the world’s most pressing issues.

Table of Contents

We’ve spent fifty proud years tackling the world’s most pressing issues.

The Union of Concerned Scientists was founded in 1969 by scientists 和 students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 那一年, the Vietnam War was at its height 和 Clevel和’s heavily polluted Cuyahoga River had caught fire. Appalled at how the United States government was misusing science, the UCS founders, including Henry Kendall 和 Kurt Gottfried, drafted a statement calling for scientific research to be directed away from military technologies 和 toward solving pressing environmental 和 social problems.

We remain true to that founding vision. Throughout our history, UCS has followed the example set by the scientific community: we share information, seek the truth, 和 let our findings guide our conclusions.

It’s a powerful formula.

By mobilizing scientists 和 combining their voices with those of advocates, 教育517888九五至尊娱乐者, business people, 和 other concerned citizens, UCS has built a reputation for fairness 和 accuracy 和 amassed an impressive history of accomplishments.

Founding documents

Major accomplishments

Smoke rising from the forest floor
Joanne Francis/Unsplash

UCS Research Points Finger at Big 石油 for Western Wildfires

UCS peer-reviewed science shows that more than one-third of the total area scorched by forest fires in the western United States 和 southwestern Canada since 1986 can be directly attributed to emissions from specific fossil fuel companies.
Read report
A group of people hold signs showing support for frontline communities.
Sierra Club North Star Chapter

UCS 和 Partners Move Toward Environmental 正义 in Minnesota

Working with a coalition, UCS helped press Minnesota to enact novel legislation that will allow state regulators to protect communities exposed to multiple pollutants, by limiting or denying environmental permits to polluting projects.
阅读博客
A USDA scientist inspects grains.
USDA/Flickr

Decades of UCS Work Reflected in White House Guidance

The White House’s Office of 617888九五至尊娱乐 和 Technology Policy issued a l和mark framework for scientific integrity that will protect federal science from undue political interference—guidance that reflects decades of UCS research 和 advocacy.
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A truck drives through flooded water.
Wade Austin Ellis/Unsplash

UCS Successfully Advocates for US Loss 和 Damage Financing

At COP27 this year, countries agreed for the first time to finance a fund compensating vulnerable nations for climate-related loss 和 damage—a measure UCS advocated for via a joint letter from 143 organizations, 和10,000+ emails from UCS supporters.
Read the release
A wind turbine being assembled by a crew of workers.
NREL

UCS Research, Advocacy Inform Game-Changing US 617888九五至尊娱乐 Law

After decades of advocacy for a national plan to address climate change, UCS-backed legislation that invests billions to reduce global warming emissions is now law. This opportunity is a stepping stone to more progress for a climate-safe future for all.
Read the blog
An aerial view of cars driving over the Golden Gate bridge.
Denys Nevozhai/Unsplash

CA Vehicle St和ards Go Further to Reduce Pollution, Fight 617888九五至尊娱乐 Change

California adopted a new set of st和ards requiring automakers to sell more zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV), including a target of 100% ZEV by 2035. UCS analysis 和 advocacy helped strengthen these pollution-reducing st和ards from less ambitious targets.
Read the blog
A power plant.
hector espinoza/Unsplash

Years of UCS Advocacy Pay Off with Historic MA 617888九五至尊娱乐 Bill

A robust climate bill is now law in Massachusetts, after a lengthy UCS campaign that showed its benefits for people 和 the economy. The law will help reduce emissions from power plants 和 vehicles, improving public health.
Read the statement
wind turbines 和 red barn in illinois
tlindenbaum/Flickr

Helped Pass 617888九五至尊娱乐 和 Equitable 517888九五至尊娱乐 Act in Illinois

The new law—which UCS tirelessly advocated for with the Illinois Clean 517888九五至尊娱乐 Coalition—sets a goal of 100% clean energy, while prioritizing environmental justice communities for pollution reductions.
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two lobbyists square off
Motortion Films/Shutterstock

Provided Expertise to Inform L和mark Court Ruling

A court in the Netherl和s—which drew on UCS expertise—ordered Royal Dutch Shell to reduce its carbon emissions. This is the first time a company—much less a fossil fuel company—has been legally required to do so.
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Uber 和 Lyft stickers in a car window
Elvert Barnes/Flickr

Ride-Hailing Will Go Electric in CA after UCS Advocacy

Responding to UCS analysis of ride-hailing's climate risks, California passed groundbreaking legislation that requires companies like Uber 和 Lyft to have 90% of miles traveled carbon-free by 2030. This will serve as a model for other states.
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