Table of Contents
We’ve combined science and advocacy for more than fifty years. The results speak for themselves.
Assembled below is a list of recent UCS-driven wins and major milestones, chronicling the many ways we act at the intersection of science and policy. Each success is made possible through the power of our staff, Science Network, activists, and committed members.
Recent wins
John Gress Media/Shutterstock
UCS Wins Strong Ethylene Oxide Pollution Rule
UCS analysis of health risks to communities living near facilities emitting ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, along with our advocacy for science-based standards, helped push the EPA to issue a proposed rule that could cut emissions by 80 percent.
Joanne Francis/Unsplash
UCS Research Points Finger at Big Oil 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 and southwestern Canada since 1986 can be directly attributed to emissions from specific fossil fuel companies.
Sierra Club North Star Chapter
UCS and Partners Move Toward Environmental Justice 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.
Major accomplishments
Led Scientists in Protest Against Space Weapons
More than 700 members of the National Academy of Sciences, signed the UCS Appeal to Ban Space Weapons.
Convened Top Scientists to Provide Facts on US Missile Defense
Many of the nation's top scientists, joined UCS to participate in the first-ever scientist-led teleconference
Rallied 100,000 Students for Teach-Ins on Nuclear War Threats
UCS sponsored teach-ins at 150 campuses in 42 states.
zhangyang13576997233/Shutterstock
zhangyang13576997233/Shutterstock
UCS launches work on renewable energy with publication of Energy Strategies: Toward A Solar Future.
UCS launches work on renewable energy.
Photo: Matthew Platt/CC BY-SA (Flickr)
UCS opens an office In Washington, DC.
UCS opens an office In Washington, DC.
Offered a Prescient Warning of Danger at Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant
UCS called upon the US government to shut down the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.
Reduced the Threat of the Nuclear Arms Race
UCS worked to expose the drawbacks of the Nixon administration's plans for an anti-ballistic missile system.
Photo: Greg Dunlap/CC BY (Flickr)
Alerted Public to Defects of Nuclear Power Cooling Systems
UCS provides independent technical expertise at national hearings that spark widespread concern over nuclear power safety.
Sebastian Ter Berg
UCS begins work on nuclear power safety.
UCS begins work on nuclear power safety.
Organized a Groundbreaking Mobilization of Scientists
Students and faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology organized a day of action to protest the US government’s misuse of science.
Feature
50 Years of Science and Action
Since our founding in 1969 we've helped address some of the world’s most pressing problems.