September 2, 2024 – Higher Education Press Agency (Olmo Linthorst)
Utrecht University had pledged not to collaborate with the fossil fuel industry. However, a Utrecht professor is doing so again, raising eyebrows: Is the university ignoring its own rules?
This article appeared in several university magazines, we contributed content to it based on our research.
- Advalvas (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam): link
- Utoday (University of Twente): link
- Punt (Avans University of Applied Sciences): link
- Delta (TU Delft): link
“It seems that the university did not consider the Paris goals when evaluating this collaboration,” notes Linda Knoester from Solid Sustainability Research, a Leiden-based research firm that examines the fossil industry’s influence on science and education.
This is particularly concerning as the university itself declares that there is a climate crisis—an emergency even. A systemic change is urgently needed, Knoester points out. “The IPCC states that rapid and far-reaching transitions are necessary for a livable future. But research into liquid fuels aligns well with the oil industry’s interests and actually sustains them.”