On Monday (14/11), students and academics protested outside Cambridge’s Department for Earth Sciences, calling on the University to ban fossil fuel industry funding for climate research.

The protests were part of a coordinated campaign at the UK’s top three university recipients of fossil-fuel funding, in light of COP27.

Alongside protests at the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and Imperial College London, the international coalition of ‘Fossil Free Research’ coordinated action at universities across the United States and Canada.

Last year, an investigation by openDemocracy found the University of Cambridge to have accepted £14 million from oil giants between 2017-21, ranking it alongside Imperial College London and Oxford University as the largest recipients of oil company funding.

A letter released by the Fossil Free Research campaign has now been signed by over 750 leading academics, scientists and policy-makers, calling for universities to end fossil fuel ties, arguing partnerships create a fundamental conflict of interest, risking the integrity of research and academic freedom.

The students and academics argued oil companies should not be partners in researching the green transition, citing research into how fossil fuel companies have greenwashed records on environmental destruction and lobbying against climate legislation.

The rally at Cambridge was co-hosted by Cambridge Climate Justice and Cambridge SU’s Ethical Affairs campaign.

Amelia Jabry , postgraduate president of Cambridge SU, said that “Cambridge University is still in bed with fossil fuel giants like Shell, BP and Schlumberger. They accept regular donations from these companies. They fund PhDs with these donations [...] This shouldn’t be a choice for a PhD student to make, it should be the prerogative for the university to source and supply ethical and environmentally friendly funding to its students."

Sam Gee, organizer with Cambridge Climate Justice and Fossil Free Research, said that “research ties between universities and fossil fuel companies help to bolster these companies’ false claims that they are committed to science- and people-led climate action.”

A student attending the protest, Ruari McColl, said that “for universities like mine, which announced its divestment from fossil fuels in 2020, this is a logical and necessary next step. Without it, these universities are complicit in climate breakdown and the devastation of vulnerable communities.”

The criticisms come amidst renewed global focus on the influence of fossil fuel companies at COP27.

Last month, Cambridge’s University Council passed a motion to delay a vote by academics on a proposal to stop accepting funding from coal, oil and gas companies. The proposal was submitted in July through the Grace system, which allows academics to vote on matters involving university governance if supported by 50 members of the Regent House. 84 members of the Regent House offered their support, however the University Council then has the power to block proposals.

The original Grace said that the University should not accept research funding from a company if it is constructing new fossil fuel infrastructure, exploring new fossil fuel reserves or are members of trade associations involved in “political lobbying against science-based climate legislation.”

Cambridge would have become the first leading university to vote on fossil fuel funding had the vote taken place.