Why elite universities like Cambridge must ditch big oil funding

While institutions like Cambridge talk up climate action, they also maintain partnerships with the fossil fuel giants driving climate catastrophe. This must stop, says Zak Coleman

By Zak Coleman

UNIVERSITIES like Cambridge enjoy a special status in society. They are celebrated as bastions of excellence, academic integrity and independent research. They claim to be deeply committed to young people and their futures.

Ten months into my term as undergraduate president of the Cambridge Students’ Union, I believe my university is betraying these ideals. While its leadership talks up climate action, the university also maintains research and sponsorship partnerships with fossil fuel giants that must surely still be contributing to climate catastrophe.

It may have announced in 2020 that it would divest its multibillion pound endowment fund from …