A HISTORY OF INDUSTRY INFLUENCE
In order to support the continued use of oil and gas, fossil fuel companies have funded research centers that focus on energy, the environment, and climate change at universities across the United States for years. This has damaged academic integrity and delayed climate action. In addition to divesting, universities must dissociate stop accepting fossil fuel funding for research.
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The Center for American Progress documented ten such partnerships in 2010.
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Since 2014, ExxonMobil has spent at least $75 million to help establish 5 energy centers at 6 universities, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2014), University of Texas at Austin (2016), Stanford University (2018), and Princeton (2015).
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In 2023, Divest Harvard Alumni published their white paper A Fossil Fuel-Free Harvard which outlines the damaging fossil fuel relationships compromising Harvard's academic integrity.
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This video explains the relationships between universities and fossil fuel companies and why universities need to dissociate completely.
Princeton Energy Research Fund 2022
On November 209th, 2022 Princeton announced it had established an Energy Research Fund to "support fundamental and applied energy solutions research and foster collaboration with corporate partners".
There is no indication of where the $2 million per year has come from. According to the university, the Energy Research Fund ($500,000 for fundamental energy research projects) will be administered by the Office of the Dean for Research and the Andlinger Center will distribute funding for research projects in collaboration with corporate partners. There is no limitation placed on the corporate partners - they could be fossil fuel companies. If there is no financial contribution from the corporate partner, they could also be companies on the dissociation list, including Exxon.
fossil fuel funding at Princeton
Since 2000, ExxonMobil and BP together have given over $35 million to the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and the Climate Mitigation Initiative (CMI) at Princeton University. Over the last 5 years, the University has received $26.2 million in funding research from eleven oil and gas companies, with most of that coming from Exxon-Mobil and BP. Over the last 5 years, approximately 50 fossil-fuel related companies have recruited on campus.
In 2021, out of a total of $255,935,599 in sponsored funding, Princeton received $3,836,135 or 1.5% from 5 fossil fuel companies:
BP International Limited $2,088,995
ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co. $1,389,644
Shell Oil Company $150,483
Syncrude Canada Ltd. $61,937
TOTAL E&P Research & Technology USA, LLC $145,076
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Over the last 5 years, approximately 50 fossil-fuel related companies have recruited on campus.
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A number of Princeton trustees have links to fossil fuel companies.
Princeton Annual Funding Reports
2021 - from page 26 - total value $3,836,135
2020 - from page 25
2019 - from page 24
2018 - pages 32-33, 56, 60, 82, 95, 143
2017 - pages 31, 51, 52,58, 88, 89, 130
2012 - pages 148-150
2010-2011 - pages 143-145
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System
- a self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance
resources
April 2022 PBS - Frontline - The Power of Big Oil - 3 part series
April 2022 Tricks of the Trade: Deceptive Practices, Climate Delay and Greenwashing In The Oil and Gas Industry
Drilled Season 7: The ABCs of Big Oil, a collaboration with Earther: Big Oil infiltrated schools across the country. Inside the campaign to miseducate American students. Season 7 episodes and transcripts
February 16. 2022 The clean energy claims of BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell: A mismatch between discourse, actions and investments
September 28, 2021 Tracing Big Oil’s PR war to delay action on climate change
September 16, 2021 U.S. House panel to probe oil companies over climate disinformation
The New Yorker 5/7/20 Big Oil’s Reign Is Finally Weakening
Forbes 3/25/19 Oil And Gas Giants Spend Millions Lobbying To Block Climate Change Policies
Guardian 3/13/17 The fossil fuel industry's invisible colonization of academia
"Money and Power at Princeton: What we see and what we don't."
Lynne Archibald, Naomi Cohen-Shields, Joseph Giguere, Alex Nguyen, and Tom Taylor (2/9/2021). Donors Fund Climate Denial: How Princeton’s Money Trail Undermines Its Own Research. Daily Princetonian.
Lynne Archibald, Naomi Cohen-Shields, Joseph Giguere, Alex Nguyen, and Tom Taylor (2/8/2021). What do you get for a donation to Princeton?. Daily Princetonian.
Sofia Hiltner and Lynne Archibald (2/7/2021). Where is our Princeton Forward?. Daily Princetonian.
Graphic design by Ashley Chung