September 2, 2024 – Higher Education Press Agency (Olmo Linthorst)
This article appeared in several university magazines, we contributed content to it based on our research. The article below was translated by ChatGPT.
- Advalvas (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam): link
- Utoday (University of Twente): link
- Punt (Avans University of Applied Sciences): link
- Delta (TU Delft): link
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?
After various student protests and discussion groups, Utrecht University made a radical decision in July 2023: it would no longer engage with fossil fuel companies, unless they “actively and demonstrably” contribute to the energy transition, in line with the Paris Agreement’s climate goals, the university stated last year.
€1.5 Million Support from BP
However, according to an internal university newsletter, oil company BP is funding €1.5 million for research by Professor Petra de Jongh on catalysis and materials for sustainable energy.
This poses a problem: to meet the Paris goals, oil and gas companies must reduce fossil energy extraction in the coming years, yet BP plans to increase it. The company’s plans do not align with the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, according to the authoritative climate think tank Carbon Tracker.
Has the university succumbed to big money after all? Absolutely not, says a spokesperson: the research project was already in the pipeline, with the first funds transferred at the end of 2023. “It can take months to years before a research project actually starts.” The internal newsletter from last July, which mentioned BP’s contribution, simply spread old news.
Old News
Professor Petra de Jongh also says that BP’s contribution is not news. “The project is already underway, and we provided an update on the university’s website in February.” The UU has published an overview of its collaborations.
Furthermore, De Jongh states that the project contributes to the energy transition. She aims to explore how household waste can be converted into fuels for industry, aviation, or heavy transport. “Of course, we need to electrify wherever possible, but for areas where liquid fuels are still necessary, we need to make them circular as soon as possible,” the professor says.
Sometime in 2022, she says, she reached a verbal agreement with BP to finance this research. Meanwhile, protests against collaboration with fossil fuel companies were growing. Universities were being occupied, including Utrecht’s. It was in this context that the university had to decide on De Jongh’s collaboration with BP.
“Convincing”
Utrecht University says that the research project “has the potential to significantly impact the energy transition.” The board finds the choice of BP “convincing.”
De Jongh adds, “BP is among the top four oil companies regarding climate action. The company makes significant investments in sustainable energy. This is a company we can work with.”
Criticism
But what about the Paris goals? BP may be the most progressive among the major oil companies, as Carbon Tracker also notes, but its policies still do not contribute to meeting the climate goals. For this reason, pension funds such as ABP and PFZW have sold their BP shares over the past two years.
“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.”