Hundreds of teachers have pledged not to take their students to a new exhibition at the Science Museum in London until it cancels its sponsorship deal with a company linked to the Adani coal mine.
More than 400 teachers and educators have so far signed an open letter to the museum warning that it faces a widespread boycott of an agreement with Adani Green Energy, whose parent company, Adani Group, is a major mining operator. coal and coal power plants. .
Ian McDermott of Harris Westminster Sixth Form in London said: “I have brought many thousands of students to this place over the last 25 years. I am deeply saddened by this magical building, which has done so much to benefit and inspire young people. , is actively harming them by allowing coal giants like Adani, who are destroying the future of the world’s youth with the expansion of mining, to do a green wash. their reputation at the expense of the museum’s reputation. “
Meryl Batchelder, from Corbridge High School in Northumberland, said: “Through environmental education, young people are becoming more aware of the damage caused by the fossil fuel industry. As a teacher I try to set an example and live my life in the most sustainable way possible.The Science Museum has a big influence, so it would be an amazing step in the right direction if they became a leader in promoting decarbonization and turned their backs on Adani and his teammates “.
Adani Green Energy will sponsor the museum’s Energy Revolution gallery, which will open next year.
Museum director Ian Blatchford said: “We agree that climate change is the most pressing challenge facing humanity, but we disagree with the argument of some who say we should break the links with all energy companies with a partnership, direct or indirect, with fossil fuels. We believe the right approach is to involve and challenge companies and other partners to do more to make the global economy less carbon intensive. ” .
Last October, a former museum director, Professor Chris Rapley, a climate scientist, resigned from his advisory board for sponsorship of oil and gas companies.
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A month later, 40 prominent figures, including a former chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and several prominent scientists, many of whom have worked closely with the museum in the past, said they were “deeply concerned” about the its sponsorship of fossil fuels. agreements and announced that they were breaking ties with the museum until a moratorium was announced.
Two prominent scientists have refused to allow their work to be included in the Science Museum’s collection because of the institution’s links to Shell. And in December indigenous leaders urged the Science Museum to cancel the Adani Green Energy deal.