Thread by @ilanabana

1/ It was such a privilege to report on the @FosFreeResearch movement & the critical conversation it's stirring up around the ethics of Big Oil funding university climate research for @thenation! 📝 Please check it out⬇️

Plus, a few afterthoughts...🧵

thenation.com/article/politi…

2/ As a student #FossilFreeResearch campaigner, I wrote this piece bc the issue is near and dear to my heart! And bc I think the stakes here are super high: we need good climate research to have real climate solutions!

3/ The #InflationReductionAct allocates $369 billion in climate- and energy-related funding — to use that $ effectively, we need to rely on impartial research that puts people/planet first. Can we do that w/ research funded by companies profiting off climate breakdown?

4/ As many student and academic campaigners have made clear, the obvious answer is no. Big Oil funds universities/major climate institutes' research for a reason: not just for reputational rewards but also to influence public knowledge/discourse/policy on climate!

5/ That still leaves the question of where to draw the line for fossil fuel industry funding.
@DKeithClimate, who helped craft funding restrictions for #geoengineering research, says oil/gas giants shouldn't be sponsoring any university climate research with a policy component.

6/ But @BenFranta says there's no way to really separate 'purely scientific' from 'policy-related' climate research...

7/ Indeed, weaponizing the former has been a Big Oil strategy. Franta has found trade group IPIECA/petroleum companies “used scientific research as a tool to delay action" & sought to identify scientists “who could help the industry promote uncertainty."

https://twitter.com/benfranta/status/1452690867001565186

8/ Not all academics agree. Directors Adam Brandt of @MIT's Natural Gas Initiative & Henry Lee of @Kennedy_School's Environment and Natural Resources Program maintained the independence of their programs' research. Both programs take fossil fuel industry funding.

9/ Like Franta, climatologist @MichaelEMann sees a clear conflict of interest with this funding: "When academics and scientists take fossil fuel money, they are selling their integrity,” he said.

10/ In any case, the conversation here is becoming unavoidable for major universities/research institutes. The MIT/HKS programs and others like them are facing increasing pressure as calls from students, academics, and alumni for #FossilFreeResearch escalate.

11/ And it's not just those on university or research campuses but the public, too, who are clamoring for a policy change. dataforprogress.org/blog/2022/7/14…

12/ As the movement grows, I hope to do lots more writing about the conversations ongoing on campuses and inside top climate research institutes, so stay tuned! And please feel free to send tips my way 📩

13/ To finish, a huge thank you to my editors @peterrothberg & Julian Epp of @thenation for their constant support and belief in this piece!

14/ I'm also glad I was able to tell this story featuring differing perspectives on the issue. It's not every day (trust me) that folks funded by industry are willing to engage in this conversation.

15/ Lastly, for folks looking to stay tuned or get involved with #FossilFreeResearch actions, here are a few accounts to start with: @FosFreeResearch + @sunrisemvmtgwu @DivestHarvard @CoalitionTrue @divest @CamClimJustice @OxUniFossilFree @FossilFree5 @divesteddotorg @MitDivest