More than 400 teachers and educators have so far signed an open letter to the museum warning it faces a widespread boycott over a deal with Adani Green Energy, whose parent company, the Adani Group, is a major operator of coal mines and coal-fired power stations coal. . Ian McDermott, of Harris Westminster Sixth Form in London, said: “I have brought many thousands of students to this place over the past 25 years. It saddens me so much that this magical building, which has done so much to benefit and inspire young people, is now actively harming them by allowing coal giants like Adani, who are destroying the future of the world’s young people by expanding mining, to 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 increasingly aware of the damage caused by the fossil fuel industry. As a teacher I try to lead by example and live my life as sustainably as possible. The Science Museum is hugely influential, so it would be an incredible step in the right direction if they became a leader in promoting decarbonisation and turned their backs on Adani and their ilk.” Adani Green Energy is to sponsor the museum’s Energy Revolution gallery, which will open next year. The museum’s director, Ian Blatchford, said: “We agree that climate change is the most urgent challenge facing humanity, but we do not agree with the argument of some who say we should cut ties with all energy companies with one connection, direct or indirect. , with fossil fuels. We believe the right approach is to engage and challenge companies and other partners to do more to make the global economy less carbon intensive.” Last October, a former director of the museum, Professor Chris Rappley, a climate scientist, resigned from its advisory board over oil and gas company sponsorship. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST A month later, 40 prominent figures, including a former chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and several leading scientists, many of whom have worked closely with the museum in the past, said they were “deeply concerned” about its sponsorship in fossil fuels. agrees and has announced that they are severing ties with the museum until a moratorium is announced. Two prominent scientists refused to allow their work to be included in the Science Museum’s collection because of the institution’s ties to Shell. And in December, Indigenous leaders urged the Science Museum to cancel the Adani Green Energy deal.
