Universities are taking donations from environmentally harmful companies while pledging sustainability, their students reveal.

What's happening?

As reported by The Guardian, students have researched top U.S. universities and their ties to the pollutive fossil fuel industry. They found that millions of dollars have been accepted by their institutions from these companies. In fact, Princeton University even owned a petroleum company of its own.

The students responsible for the research are part of Campus Climate Network, an international organization with a mission to have colleges distance themselves from oil companies. The researchers reviewed school board members, disclosed donations, and academic papers to find any connections the universities had to the industry.

"Fossil fuel companies are hijacking our universities to perpetuate their own toxic industry, and we students are not having it anymore," Will Kattrup, a research lead at Campus Climate Network said.

Why are the donations important?

Fossil fuel donations to universities raise serious concerns because they reveal university finances are at odds with their sustainability goals. 

Many of the universities on the report are public about their sustainability goals. However, the funding from companies that openly counter these goals makes the universities' claims seem disingenuous.

Across six schools, 1,507 papers were backed by oil and gas money, raising concerns about the influence of these companies on academic work. A 2022 study found that fossil fuel-funded research centers are more likely to produce studies favorable to the continued use of gas. Additionally, fossil fuel-linked individuals often sit on university boards, potentially shaping policy in favor of the industry.

What's being done about the donations?

The students of the Campus Climate Network are making moves to address the issue. They've already published their research, which brings awareness to the conflicting priorities of various universities.

Relationships with these oil and gas companies call into question the legitimacy of the universities' research, green initiatives, and sustainability goals. In the report, students have called for universities to cut ties entirely with the fossil fuel industry.

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