IT’S a fair and reasonable assumption that the peace of the world will continue to rest on remarkably thin ice. We should continue to reflect on that stark reality thereby avoiding complacency.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the SRT of the Church of Scotland (formerly the Society, Religion and Technology Project) worked alongside the World Council of Churches (WCC) to examine the effectiveness of international treaties and conventions, including the 1968 UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which is still intended to control the risks and spread of nuclear weapons.
The WCC programme on ‘The Future of Science & Technology’ was initiated by the distinguished ecumenical leader, Paul Abrecht, and, as SRT director, I was invited to become a principal advisor. The global energy crisis of 1973, resulting from quadruple increases by OPEC in the price of crude oil, prompted many nations to search for alternative sources of energy. In turn their governments were found to be moving towards more rapid development of nuclear power than had been anticipated.