May 10, 2023
A Dutch University Just Set a Powerful Precedent for Climate Research
By Eleanor Buchanan
VU Amsterdam will reject collaborations with fossil fuel companies that fail to demonstrate a commitment to the Paris Agreement.
By Ilana Cohen
As part of its commitment to furthering an energy transition, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a research university in the Netherlands, announced on April 20 that it would reject research collaborations with any fossil fuel company that fails to demonstrate a commitment to the goals of the Paris climate accords.
The adoption of the first-of-its-kind Fossil Free Research (FFR) policy came against a backdrop of increasing demonstrations throughout the Netherlands. The University of Amsterdam explicitly referenced this activism last February when announcing its decision to place a moratorium on research collaboration with oil and gas major Shell and similar companies. While the VU Amsterdam commitment does not stop ongoing projects funded by fossil fuel corporations, the university has banned future research collaborations with companies that do not “demonstrably commit” to the Paris Agreement.
By doing so, the school is making a historic and far-reaching commitment. This unprecedented institutional response recognizes the vital role of research in driving societal decarbonization, as well as the reality that fossil fuel companies are grossly unaligned with climate action goals.
