0 CommentsOn Wednesday, September 18, Sunrise Columbia hosted a presentation and dialogue on their newly released report, “Complicit Columbia: How Fossil Fuels Fund Columbia Climate Research.”
Sunrise Columbia—Columbia’s environmental activist group—just released “Complicit Columbia: How Fossil Fuels Fund Columbia Climate Research,” their new research report on the pervasive financial ties between the fossil fuel industry and climate research at Columbia University. On Wednesday night, they presented their findings both to the Columbia community and in collaboration with the Campus Climate Network.
The Campus Climate Network is a student-led nonprofit organization working towards cutting ties between university research and fossil fuel companies. During the first part of the evening, representatives from the Campus Climate Network discussed findings from six recent reports written by students from Columbia University, American University, UC San Diego, Cornell University, Princeton University, and UNC Chapel Hill.
Before getting into the specifics of Columbia’s financial ties to fossil fuels, the Campus Climate Network talked about some overall statistics across campus reports. Combining the data across reports, they revealed direct university funding from the fossil fuel industry of over $100 million. Learning about the outcomes of all of these reports put Columbia’s research within the broader context of the academic integrity of climate research across the country.
After collaborating on a presentation with the Campus Climate Network, Sunrise Columbia researchers presented their specific findings to dozens of peers gathered in a Milstein conference room.
First, presenters emphasized the role of Columbia University in a larger, global context as a prestigious research institution with a huge amount of social capital—especially compared to fossil fuel companies such as BP or Exxon Mobil that don’t have the “cleanest reputations.” They explained that when fossil fuel companies fund climate research, they can consciously or unconsciously shape researchers’ work based on the conditions of their grant and the nature of the donating industry.
The most staggering quantitative finding from Sunrise Columbia’s report is that between 2005-2024, 42 corporations associated with the fossil fuel industry donated $43,712,333 to Columbia University research. Over $15.7 million of that sum has gone to SIPA’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) since its founding in 2013. The authors of this report question how Columbia University can claim its research as having unbiased, academic integrity when its research is funded by companies with clear investments in oil, gas, and coal.
Sunrise Columbia also emphasized that the quantitative values throughout their report are underestimated, as they were only able to use publicly accessible data and reported minimum values when presented with a range of possible donations from a company.
The report also found that 784 Columbia research studies were funded by fossil fuel companies and many researchers in CGEP work for both Columbia University and a fossil fuel associated company. In their presentation, the authors quoted Bob Stout, former Vice president and Head of Regulatory Affairs at BP saying, “[Relationships with Columbia] are key parts of our long-term relationship building and outreach to policymakers and influencers in the US and globally…we are able to tell the story of what we are doing and why in a more personal and compelling way.” By supporting research performed by fossil fuel company affiliates, Columbia shapes an academic narrative that embraces the continued use of fossil fuels.
Fortunately, Sunrise Columbia brought glimpses of hope along with their report of a “Complicit Columbia.” In their presentation and report, they explained that not all of Columbia’s climate research accepts funding from the fossil fuel industry. The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, though historically funded and founded by fossil fuel companies and affiliates, has largely divested and in 2022, only 0.001% of its funding came from the fossil fuel industry.
Many critics of fossil fuel divestment claim that losing that source of funding will lead to fewer research opportunities for climate scientists. However, Sunrise Columbia emphasizes in their report that Lamont’s amazing work shows that great climate science is not dependent on fossil fuel funding.
This past summer, Columbia University announced the forming of a new Committee on Research Funding from Fossil Fuel Companies. To shape the priorities and goals of the new committee, Columbia students can fill out their new survey. Sunrise Columbia’s pressure led to the forming of this committee, and they hope to be in contact and collaboration throughout the year.
In their report, Sunrise Columbia outlined their recommendations for the new committee, as follows:
- Cease acceptance of fossil fuel funding
- Implement comprehensive transparency measures
- Establish strict criteria for future donations
- Set a strict timeline for transitioning to fossil-free climate research
- Increase inclusion of affiliates in dialogue and decision-making.
The student activists involved in Sunrise Columbia hope that their research spreads awareness of issues of academic integrity in Columbia’s research ties to the fossil fuel industry. And, based on the mix of frustration and hope seen in the audience watching, it seems that their mission is already taking effect.
The full report, “Complicit Columbia: How Fossil Fuels Fund Columbia Climate Research,” is available online. Additionally, Sunrise Columbia provides a data visualization where you can further dive into the specific companies that fund Columbia’s research.
Through their research and activism, Sunrise Columbia hopes to pave the way for academic integrity in climate research throughout the University. Their presentation and dialogue shed light on important issues surrounding Columbia’s financial ties, and now Sunrise Columbia is looking forward to their next steps in building the future of student-led climate activism with hope.
Photo via Sunrise Columbia
Loading …