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Accountable Allies: The Undue Influence of Fossil Fuel Money in Academia

Accountable Allies: The Undue Influence of Fossil Fuel Money in Academia

Full Title: Accountable Allies: The Undue Influence of Fossil Fuel Money in Academia
Author(s): Bella Kumar
Publisher(s): Data for Progress
Publication Date: February 20, 2023
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):

Data for Progress analyzed the contributions of key fossil fuel companies and allied interests to 27 universities across the US, including leading research universities. ExxonMobil Corporation, BP America Inc., Chevron Corporation, Shell Oil Company, ConocoPhillips, and Koch Industries have donated or pledged at least $677,373,368 between 2010 and 2020 to 27 universities. The top recipients of fossil fuel funding among these recipients were the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and George Mason University.

In order to hold fossil fuel companies accountable, eliminate conflicts of interest within university funding streams, and end fossil fuel exploitation of the credibility of academic institutions, climate activists, allies, academics, and universities must work to establish funding transparency, institute robust conflict-of-interest and gift acceptance policies, and ban fossil fuel money in academic research, particularly climate research. With the added transparency of Data for Progress’ Accountable Allies project, university leaders, students, and local activists can hold corporations accountable to help put an end to the harmful and undue influence of the fossil fuel industry on academia.

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