Photo credit; the Guardian
The University of Toronto environment school says it will financially dissociate from fossil fuel companies.
The Guardian reports that the institution has committed to stop taking funds from the sector for research, sponsorships, scholarships or infrastructure such as buildings. It is also going to stop collaborating with te industry on events and school initiatives, cease histing fossil fuel recruitment events, while working to “increase transparency about funding, donations , and partnerships.”
University of Toronto has become the only University in North America with a commitment to fossil fuel dissociation. Princeton University made such a commitment in 2022, but stopped it this month.
The move is a landmark win for climate activists. Alicia Colomer, managing director for Campus Climate Network, a student-led advocacy group focused on eliminating gas and oil funding in academia said, “Faculty, researchers, and students stood together at the University of Toronto to ensure that their school of Environment will be a place for just climate research, not an avenue for corporate influence.”
The pledge will apply to all companies that extract fossil fuels and all lobbying organizations for coal, oil or gas. Funding from utility companies will be permitted.
