Science for Peace is a charitable organisation dedicated to popular education and research on demilitarisation, climate change mitigation, social justice and non-violence. It was co-founded by a group of University of Toronto faculty members including Eric Fawcett and Anatol Rapaport. It is based in Toronto, Ontario. Activities undertaken include lectures, workshops, administering the Franz Blumenfeld Peace Education Fund, and hosting the biannual Eric Fawcett Memorial Forum.
Goals
Science for Peace seeks "a non-militarized Canada that stands as a global beacon of ecological sustainability, non-violence, and equality."
Science for Peace was founded in response to nuclear armament. In its early days, it sought to “encourage scientific activities directed towards peace, and to urge the publication and dissemination of the findings of peace research.” As it grew, its goals broadened to include mitigating climate change and the harms of corporate globalisation.
History
Early years
In the fall of 1980, physicist Eric Fawcett created "The Committee for Directing Science Toward Peace” to encourage peace research. The committee met to prepare a paper for presentation at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s first Canadian conference held in Toronto in 1981. It continued to meet after the conference and became Science for Peace. The founding group of faculty members included Eric Fawcett, Anatol Rapoport, Derek Paul, John Polanyi, and L. Terrell Gardner.