University Breakup with Big Oil: A Positive Trend:

There’s quite a buzz on campus these days as universities progressively turn a cold shoulder towards fossil fuel companies when it comes to recruitment fairs. A recent survey has revealed a significant increase – a whopping 30% to be exact – in the number of higher education institutions banning these companies from their graduate recruitment events. This move goes hand in hand with a push to curb investment in big oil, a result of years of rallying from both students and staff alike within the academic sector.

Nipping Fossil Fuels in the Bud:

Student campaign group, People and Planet, who are behind this annual survey of sustainability and ethics in higher education, found that most of the university sector had pledged to disinvest from fossil fuel companies. However, walking the talk appears to be an area needing further attention as only 10 of these institutions decided to sever their recruitment links with industries seen as harmful to the environment, showing an increase of 30% from the previous year. This shift demonstrates a growing acknowledgment among universities that climate justice is not attainable without distancing from the fossil fuel industry.

Ranking-based Revelations:

The survey also assessed 149 UK universities using 14 predetermined climate and social justice-related criteria. A noteworthy trend emerged among the group of universities established post-1992, who appeared to lead the charge, seizing seven of the top 10 spots. Meanwhile, the prestigious Russell Group of universities saw a drop in their high-scoring representatives, down from six to four in the past year.

A Victory for Student Activism:

The network of student campaigners, People and Planet, attributed the majority of progress seen among universities to determined student campaigns. These campaigns have been particularly fervent over the last year amplifying their stance against universities' investments in the fossil fuel sector which they view as flagrant injustices. Among the leading institutions, the University of Bedfordshire was hailed as the overall winner due to its conscientious steps towards divesting endowment funds from the fossil fuel industry and snapping recruitment ties with oil, gas, and mining firms. The university also scored high in their use and investment of renewable energy sources and carbon reduction on campus across the past decade.

We hope you enjoyed this article. Please feel free to leave a comment below if you want to engage in the discussion.

If you want to read more like this, make sure to check out our Blog and follow us on Instagram. If you are interested in truly sustainable products, check out our Shop.

Check out the original source here.