{"id":160890,"date":"2023-11-08T10:59:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T09:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=160890"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:02","slug":"nwo-and-knaw-should-be-more-critical-of-fossil-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/11\/08\/nwo-and-knaw-should-be-more-critical-of-fossil-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018NWO and KNAW should be more critical of fossil industry\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

As guardians of science, the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) should take a more critical view of collaboration with the fossil fuel industry. This is the opinion of 450 employees of thirteen universities and eleven research institutes.<\/p>

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\u201cWhile the effects of climate change are visible everywhere and are increasing in severity, fossil fuel firms openly prefer shareholder profits to credible climate policies\u201d, scientists and other employees write in an open letter<\/a>. \u201cRecords of corporate wrongdoing and harm by the fossil fuel firms are clear and publicly available.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter is from Scientists for Future NL, an alliance of scientists that are taking a stand for the climate. Researchers from all kinds of fields, including dozens of full professors, are amongst the signatories.<\/p>\n

In the past year, activists occupied locations at several universities, including those in Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Delft, and the University of Amsterdam. They demand their universities cut ties with the fossil fuel industry.<\/p>\n

Intent<\/h2>

This letter appears to have the same intent, but worded a bit more subtly. \u201cWe appeal to KNAW, as the voice and the conscience of science and to NWO, the most important science funding body in the Netherlands, to critically evaluate collaboration between researchers in the Netherlands and the fossil energy sector\u201d, the open letter reads.<\/p>\n

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is a society of leading scientists, at one time presided over by outgoing minister Robbert Dijkgraaf. KNAW advises the Cabinet on science policy, but also has twelve scientific institutes.<\/p>\n

Research funding body NWO accepts applications across a range of programmes from scientists looking to fund their research plans. A successful application to NWO is often decisive for a career in academia. Furthermore, NWO has nine scientific institutes.<\/p>\n

The signatories are asking for \u201cunmistakable policy\u201d. Close collaboration with the fossil energy sector should only be allowed if companies are demonstrably committed to combating the climate crisis. \u201cSo far, no fossil fuel firm complies with these criteria, which means that we cannot and do not want to collaborate with such companies until they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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