Scientific Alliance

This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's focus on the fallout of nuclear "spin."

Formed in 2002, the The Scientific Alliance is a UK-based organisation of industry-friendly experts, "committed to rational discussion and debate on the challenges facing the environment today" [1], and populated by many of Britain's most prominent biotechnology enthusiasts and climate change sceptics.

According to The Scotsman, the Scientific Alliance was originally set up by the director of the British Aggregates Association, Robert Durward, and political consultant Mark Adams [2].

The Scientific Alliance's old phone number was also the contact telephone for both the British Aggregates Association and Cloburn quarry in Lanarkshire. The domain name for the Scientific Alliance is also registered to Cloburn quarry (this was changed in 2002).

The Scientific Alliance are advised by Foresight Communications. The executive handling the Scientific Alliance account is Mark Adams OBE, who was a private secretary for parliamentary affairs at No. 10 for nearly four years. He also worked as private secretary to Tony Blair for six months after the 1997 election. [3]

Adams has subsequently gone on to become Director.

In November 2004 the alliance organised a one-day seminar Cautionary Tales: Rethinking Environmental Decision Making and Risk Assessment. Key sessions were "Organic Farming and Pesticides", "Wind Power and its Risks", "Mobile Phones: Public Fear and New Technology" and a series of workshops addressing the precautionary principle.

In December 2004 the alliance teamed up with the George C. Marshall Institute to publish a paper criticising the science of global warming and the Kyoto treaty.

In January 2005 the alliance hosted a half-day conference for climate change sceptics, Apocalypse No - Assessing catastrophic climate change. Speakers included David Bellamy, S. Fred Singer, Richard S. Lindzen, Nils-Axel Morner, Benny Peiser, and Colin Berry. [4]

Staff

• Mark Adams, director
• Mia Nybrant, former director (previously Alumni Officer for UCL, and head of European Operations for the International Tax and Investment Center; she left the Scientific Alliance in August 2004)

Scientific Advisory Forum (as of Nov. 2003)[5]

• Tom Addiscott
• Sallie L. Baliunas
• Jack Barrett
• Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen
• Bill Durodié
• Mick Fuller
• Jeremy Hodge
• Michael Laughton
• Martin Livermore
• Vivian Moses
• Benny Peiser
• Anthony Trewavas
• Michael Wilson

Former member: Philip Stott

Contact

The Scientific Alliance
Golden Cross House
8 Duncannon Street
London, WC2N 4JF, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (020) 7484 5094
Fax:+44 (020) 7484 5100
info@scientific-alliance.org
Web:http://www.scientific-alliance.org/

External Links

• "About us", Scientific Alliance website, accessed December 2003.
• Gethin Chamberlian, "The rich recluse masterminding Britain's new party". The Scotsman, 22 Jan 2003
• Andy Rowell, "Hard rockers", The Guardian, July 11, 2001
• GM Watch profile
• David Adam, Climate change impact disputed, Guardian, January 28, 2005.
• Martin Livermore, "Global warming debate must be heated", Guardian (UK), September 22, 2006. Livermore is the director of the Scientific Alliance).