A ProPublica/Drilled investigation found that fossil fuel companies have been funding climate research at prestigious U.S. universities for more than 30 years. Their support has helped expand the work of scientists promoting the idea that we can stop the climate crisis without breaking our dependence on oil, gas and coal.
The research produced by these schools, in turn, shaped global climate models and the policies and technological solutions adopted by governments around the world.
Ultimately, it has fueled the misconception that climate change can be solved without drastic cuts in fossil fuels, a belief that has delayed emissions reductions by decades.
Corporate funders sponsored entire centers, paid researchers, had offices on campus, and in some cases had veto power over projects.
Companies claim to support innovation and necessary science. Universities argue that with safeguards in place, sponsorship will strengthen research programs while maintaining academic independence.
Still, the impact of funding constitutes a pattern that Benjamin Franta, associate professor of climate litigation at the University of Oxford, calls “academic colonization.”
Illustration by R. Kikuo Johnson. Visual editor: Alex Bandoni. Design and development by Anna Donlan.
