This Manifesto is issued by OTC – Organização dos Trabalhadores Científicos, Portugal.
When signing, please include both your academic title and your affiliation after your name (surname).
Versão Portuguesa: https://otc.pt/wp/2026/03/10/manifesto-scientists-against-war-for-peace-cooperation-and-development/
Version française : https://otc.pt/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MANIFESTE-DES-SCIENTIFIQUES-CONTRE-LA-GUERRE.pdf
Versión española: https://otc.pt/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MANIFIESTO_CIENTIFICOS-CONTRA-LA-GUERRA.pdf
MANIFESTO:
SCIENTISTS AGAINST WAR
FOR PEACE, COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
We are living through difficult and dangerous times on our planet, the only known natural celestial body that harbours life. As men and women of science, we know the impact of scientific knowledge on society, on the lives of each of its members, and on nature in general. We know that science is a double-edged sword, reminiscent of the biblical symbolism of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Advances in fundamental science have translated into accelerated technological development, which has intensified since the mid-20th century and continues to this day. The possession of new means to impose oneself by force has exacerbated the competition between powerful interests that determine the positioning of nation-states in the international arena in the pursuit of control over territories and natural resources.
Nuclear weapons, first used in the final moments of World War II, created a new situation: the possibility of ending life on Earth through human action. Nuclear holocaust is an existential threat that should not be ignored, especially since in the past disaster was close to happening due to human error or technical failure. The multiple ongoing conflicts, active or latent, the evolution of so-called conventional warfare into “modern” forms of hybrid or asymmetric warfare — clearly a result of the perverse application of technological advances provided by science — do not contribute to mitigating, but rather increase, the risks of a foolish deviation towards the use of nuclear weapons. Not to mention, of course, the trail of lives lost and material destruction that any war entails, even without the use of those weapons. It is important to note that the present time is marked, unfortunately, by the total deconstruction of the building painstakingly erected during the years of the so-called ‘Cold War’ and the decade that followed: the bilateral treaties between the two major nuclear powers, the basis of so-called nuclear deterrence. Today we are witnessing a growing trend of militarization of economies that strengthens profit-driven military-industrial complexes and fuels a global cycle of conflict, war, and arms proliferation. This is a disastrous cycle in which resources and means are invested disproportionately compared to those that, sporadically and often irregularly, are directed towards combating the profound social inequalities and deprivations of all kinds suffered daily by billions of human beings, from food to health and education. These deficiencies are exacerbated by the repetition of extreme weather events, attributable to human activity, which translate into significant loss of life and material damage with profound social repercussions, especially in the poorest countries.
Furthermore, it is undeniable that war, the multiple military conflicts of different scales and natures, as well as the actual operation of military equipment, even in contexts of absence of war, significantly contribute to the worsening of conditions that drive climate change.
We have entered a vicious cycle in which weapons and rearmament are not a guarantee of peace but an incentive for war. Nothing can dissipate the dark clouds that form and linger over our heads without an understanding between powers that leads to a new type of relationship based on respect for the vital interests of the parties involved.
Given the scale of current and potential dangers, inaction and apparent neutrality amount to passive complicity. As scientists, intellectuals, educators, and citizens, we have a duty not only to sound the alarm but also to actively engage in the efforts necessary to confront current and future threats. History will judge us by our ability to resist the logic of destruction that governs the present and to build the conditions for a just, peaceful, and viable future for all.
First signatories
Alexandre Quintanilha, Full Professor (retired), ICBAS, University of Porto, Portugal
Amílcar Cardoso, Full Professor (Retired), FCTUC, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Ana Costa Freitas, Full Professor Emeritus, University of Évora, President AMONET-Portuguese Association of Women in Science
Ana Maria Silva, Associate Professor (retired), Physics Dept. University of Évora
Ana Nunes, Associate Professor, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal
António Gomes Martins, Full Professor (retired), Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Portugal
António Sampaio da Nóvoa, Professor Emeritus, Institute of Education, Honorary Rector, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Augusto Fitas, Associated Professor (retired), University of. Évora, Portugal.
Carlos Fiolhais, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra
Carlos Mota Soares, Professor Emeritus, IST, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Elies Molins, Research Professor, ICMAB-CSIC, Campus Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, Co-President of FMTS-WFSW
Frederico Gama Carvalho, Senior Researcher (retired), C2TN, IST, University of Lisbon, President OTC, Portugal
Galopim de Carvalho, Full Professor (retired), Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Guida Veiga, Associate Professor, University of Évora, Portugal
Isabel Castro Henriques, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of Lisbon (Retired), Researcher at CEsA/CSG/ISEG/ULisboa
Henrique dos Santos Pereira, Director, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia – INPA, Brasil
Jean-Paul Lainé, Maître de Conférences, University of Rouen, Co-President FMTS-WFSW, France
João Cunha Serra, Assistant Professor (retired), IST, University of Lisbon, Portugal
João Gaspar Caraça, Physicist, Lisbon Academy of Sciences, Portugal
Jorge Ramos do Ó, Full Professor, Institute of Education, University of Lisbon, Portugal
João Rodrigues, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, Portugal
José Neves, Assistant Professor, History Department, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University of Lisbon,
Karin Wall, Research Professor Emeritus, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon.
Leonor Moniz Pereira, Full Professor, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Portugal TM
Luís Moniz Pereira, Professor Emeritus, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal
Luís Trindade, Researcher, Institute of Contemporary History, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal
Luísa Schmidt, Sociologist and Research Professor, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon
Manuel Loff, Historian, University of Porto, Portugal
Marc Delepouve, Researcher, Laboratoire d’Histoire des Technosciences en Société, Cnam, Université de Lille, Paris, France,
Marcelo Gonzalez Magnasco, Presidente FEDLATCI- Federación Latinoamericana de Trabajadores Científicos, Argentina
Maria Alice Samara, Historian, Researcher, Institute of Contemporary History, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal
Maria Eduarda Gonçalves, Full Professor, ISCTE-IUL, Lisbon, Portugal
Maria João Rendas, Associate Professor (Retired), IST, University of Lisbon/ Researcher, CNRS (France), Portugal
Máximo Ferreira, Astronomer, Director “Constância Science Centre – Astronomy Park”, Portugal
Mehdi Lahlou, Professor, Université de Rabat, member of WFSW International Secretariat and Bureau, Morocco.
Michael Gasser, Associate Professor Emeritus, Indiana University, USA
Mourad Bezzeghoud, Professor Emeritus, University of Évora, Portugal
Nuno Castro, Associate Professor, School of Sciences, University of Minho, Portugal,
Paulo Pereira, Senior Researcher, Faculty of Medical Sciences, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal
Rogério Reis, Associate Professor, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal
Rui Namorado Rosa, Professor Emeritus, Physics Dept., University of Évora
Sofia Lisboa, Researcher, FCSH, NOVA University of Lisbon, President ABIC- Association of Scientific Research Grant Holders, Portugal
Stuart Parkinson, PhD, Executive Director, “Scientists for Global Responsibility” (SGR), UK
Teresa Almeida Cravo, Associate Professor in International Relations, Faculty of Economics, Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Tiago André Lopes, Assistant Professor, Researcher at CEJEIA, Lusíada University, Porto, Portugal
Viriato Soromenho Marques, Full Professor, Centre of Philosophy (CFUL), School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Sign the petition here:
https://www.change.org/OTC-MANIFESTO-CIENTISTAS_CONTRA_A_GUERRA
