Oxford students call on universities to cut research ties with the fossil fuel industry

Student-led group make ground-breaking demands and gather outside the Rad Cam in support of the initiative


Oxford Climate Justice Campaign (OCJC), a student-led group, has declared its support for a new open letter calling on universities to cut research ties with the fossil fuel industry.

The letter highlights how the climate crisis disproportionately affects poorer countries and poorer people, as well as already marginalised communities.

It urges US and UK universities to ban accepting funding for climate change and environmental and energy policy research from the fossil fuel industry.

On Monday March 21st, this letter was signed by 500 leading academics and climate experts. Signatories include multiple IPCC authors including climatologist and IPCC 3rd Assessment Report lead author Michael Mann, Nobel prize recipients Eric Chivian and Gary W. Yohe, former Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University of South Wales Rowan Williams, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, 20 Oxford academics, and University Chancellors.

Members of OCJC took pictures holding placards showing their support for these demands, with those in Oxford collecting outside the Rad Cam. As grounds for this ban, the letter cites the fossil fuel industry’s long history of spreading climate disinformation, anti-climate lobbying and dismissal of climate targets.

The letter, first reported by The Guardian, also argues against partnering with the fossil fuel industry for “green research”. It warns that partnerships play a key role in greenwashing these companies’ reputations, and distracts from their continued investments in further fossil fuel development, for example in North Sea Oil and Gas.

Examples include Shell’s reconsideration of its decision to withdraw investment from the oil field Cambo now the public attention has died down, after it was initially withdrawn a few weeks after COP26 and in the face of high public pressure.

Supporting Fossil Fuel companies via research relationships undermines universities’ climate action and investment commitments. Oxford University committed to divestment in 2020.

Matilda Gettins, member of Oxford Climate Justice Campaign, said: “Oxford University stopped investing in the fossil fuel industry in 2020, showing recognition that fossil fuel companies help cause, and don’t solve, the climate crisis. It’s inconsistent and hypocritical that Oxford still helps them by lending its reputation and by providing high-quality research.”

Ilana Cohen, student coordinator at Fossil Free Research, Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard and Cambridge Climate Justice, said: “Higher education is supposed to take science seriously and care about young people’s futures. Instead, our universities are enabling the companies condemning us to a world of climate catastrophe and injustice.”

You can view the letter here.

The University of Oxford was contacted for comment.

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