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INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF
ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS
FOR GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

Newsletter no. 28 February 2000 Editor: Armin Tenner

INES, P.B. 101707, 44017 Dortmund, Germany. Tel: +49 231 575202 / 05, Fax: +49 231 575210
E-mail: INES_NAT@t-online.de; INTERNET: http://www.inesglobal.org
Bank account: Postbank Hamburg, R. Braun, account no. 1672 50-209, bank code 20010020

SUMMARY

CONTENTS 
Science and the future of the
biosphere
Peter Welsh		 1
INES regional contacts 4
Nuclear physics and peace at the
threshold of the 21st century
Martin B. Kalinowski		 5
An open letter to the leaders of all
non-nuclear weapon states
David Krieger		 7
New INES members 9
Have you ever been to Korea?
Sandra Striewski		 10
University crisis in Mexico
Alberto Salazar Martinez		 11

UNIVERSITY CRISIS IN MEXICO

Alberto Salazar Martinez

Globalization is not the same everywhere nor is it at the same level. We are all facing this process but certainly. we do not enter with empty hands. On the national level, the present scenario set by neoliberal politics has now questioned the role of public universities and scientific research. The changing economic framework has weakened the state apparatus and therefore imposed either a shortage in public funding and/or requirements for alternate financing sources. administrative, structure and goal reforms, or developed new evaluation criteria

Science and the future of the biosphere

Peter Welsh

A relatively young product of the biological evolution is the human race which developed culture and began to dominate other forms of life olny a few thousand years ago. This naked ape, as it was called by Desmond Morris, labelled his own species Homo sapiens, the wise being. The technological progress of the past few centuries seemed to support this designation, but at present we can easily recognize it as a euphemism.

An important question arises: How long will the future of Homo sapiens be? Hundreds, thousands or millions of generations? We do not know. However, we do know that the present generation determines the conditions for life on earth as no generation did before. Ecology can be called the science of small causes and big consequences. Many things we are doing have consequences which extend far into the future. For example, if we release radioactivity into the environment, there will be mutations in living cells with the consequence of a genetic load which produces an increasing number of inherited health effects in future generations. In addition, look at species depletion. Every extinct species is an irreversible loss. On the other hand, every successful measure pertaining to nature-conservation or environmental hygiene has far reaching positive consequences.

Nuclear physics and peace at the threshold of the 21st century

Martin B. Kalinowski

Non Governmental Organisations' achievements to ban the atomic bomb and the role of scientists and engineers

Since the first nuclear bombs exploded in 1945. scientists and engineers got involved in activities with the goal to free the world of the atomic bomb. Especially physicists felt their responsibility to ban this weapon of mass destruction that was made possible due to the results of nuclear physics. Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) were able to influence the politics of nuclear weapon states which are still extremely resistant against any concrete measures towards the global elimination of nuclear weapons. Over several decades, the Pugwash Conferences for Science and World Affairs played a major role and were honoured together with its co-founder Prof. Joseph Rotblat with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. Some more recent NGO achievements will be described here with an emphasis on the role of scientists and engineers in these.

The INES Newsletter

Editorial address: Armin Tenner
Buziaustraat 18, 1068 KN Amterdam,
The Netherlands
Tel/Fax: +31 20 6192738
E-mail: q18@nikhef.nl




An open letter to the leaders of all non-nuclear weapon states

David Krieger

Your Excellencies:

The nuclear perils to humanity are not sufficiently widely recognized nor appreciated. In the words of writer Jonathan Schell we have been given "the gift of time." but that gift is running out. For this reason vision and bold action are called for.

General George Lee Butler, a former Commander in Chief of all US strategic nuclear weapons. poses these questions: "By what authority do succeeding generations of leaders in the nuclear weapons states usurp the power to dictate the odds of continued life on our planet? Most urgently. why does such breathtaking audacity persist at the moment when we should stand trembling in the face of our folly and united in our commitment to abolish its most deadly manifestation?"

It is time to heed the, warnings of men like General Butler, who know intimately the risks and consequences of nuclear war. The time is overdue

for a New Agenda on nuclear disarmament. What is needed is commitment and leadership on behalf of humanity and all life.

The heart of the Non-Proliferation Treaty agreement is the link between non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. The non-nuclear weapons states agree in the Treaty not to develop nor deploy nuclear weapons in exchange for the nuclear weapons states agreeing to negotiate in good faith to achieve nuclear disarmament.
.....

Have you ever been to Korea?

Sandra Striewski

"Inspire, Empower, Act!" was the title of the 1999 International NGOs Conference at the Olympic Park in Seoul, which was organized by a Korean Committee in collaboration with United Nations agencies. For five davs, some 7.000 participants from all world, devided over 10 round-tables and over 180 working groups, debated the following issues: Peace and Security, Environment, Education, Ethics, Human Rights, Social and Economic Development, Youth, Gender Justice. Aging, Health 		and Strengthening the NGOs Representatives from a variety of NGOs presented their activities in the working groups, where particularly human rights and gender justice issues were discussed. In addition, there were cultural activities, an NGOs' exhibition hall, as well as other activities such as a Youth Forum.

Séminaire de Réflexion sur la
Conférence Africaine sur la Paix

"CAP 2000"

Le 11 Mars de l'an 2000, aura lieu à Dortmund (Allemagne) la première journée de réflexion concernant la Conférence Africaine sur la Paix (Cap - 2000), qui se tiendra certainement à Dakar / Sénégal au courant du mois d'octobre de l'an 2000.

Les thèmes de cette rencontre seront principalement centrés sur l'élaboration d'un DOCUMENT CADRE de la recherche sur la paix durable en Afrique.

Adresse de contact:
INES - Gutenbergstr. 31,
Dortmund, Allemagne

CHALLENGES FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IN THE 21st CENTURY

International INES Conference, 14-18 June 2000, Stockholm, Sweden

The conference will open up unique possibilities to discuss the present constitution of science and engineering, the relation between science and society in the new century, the demands on science in a rapidly changing world, the impact of scientific methods on socCal life and the environment, and the responsibility of scientists and engineers' for the consequences of their work.

The conference consists of 14 plenary presentations and 20 workshops, dealing with a broad spectrum of subjects in four theme areas: a) Developing the culture of science and engineering, b) Science and engineering

for a finite world, c) Humanizing the economy in a global context, and d) Steps towards comprehensive secunty and lasting peace.

Titles of workshops are e.g.:

  • Towards a culture of individual and institutional responsibility;
  • Inventing and refining sustainable technologies and services;
  • Steps towards a sustainable consumption;
  • Towards disarmament and the culture of peace.

Find more information on the web page
www.ines2000.org, or contact the organizers by e-mail:
ines2000@t-online.de.

Prof. Ricardo Diez-Hochleitner, President of the Club of Rome and Member of the INES 2000 Advisory Board writes:

Science and Engineering based on cultural heritage in a process of continuous enrichment - are the extraordinary fruits of the human brain and spirit that contribute to broader knowledge and drive progress.

The Intemational Conference convened by INES has thus been timely and wisely designed - in the context of culture, globalization, and peace - to better serve humanity in overcoming the main challenges facing us in the 21st century.