News / Concerns over oil firm’s involvement in teaching science to Shetland pupils
COMPANIES making money from oil should not be allowed to teach children about the environment, a Green MSP has claimed.
Ariane Burgess has raised serious concerns about an initiative which sees Norwegian oil giant Equinor – which owns an 80 per cent stake in the controversial Rosebank oil field – delivering pop-up science classes to Shetland pupils.
Equinor has teamed up with the Highland-based Science Skills Academy to deliver classes on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to pupils across the isles.
The pop-up Newton Room classes were rolled out to Shetland schools in the spring, with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) – which leads the project – saying it expected to reach more than 1,000 bairns over the next two years.
Nine potential Newton Room locations were identified in Shetland, including in Unst, Yell, Foula and Fair Isle.
An investigation last week by DeSmog, which investigates stories related to global warming misinformation, said Equinor was spending more than £200,000 to sponsor the classes.
There have been concerns that Equinor’s investment comes at a time when legal challenges have been levelled against the Rosebank development.
Greenpeace and campaign group Uplift successfully argued earlier this year that the decision to approve the development did not take into the account the effect on the climate of burning the oil and gas produced.
Approval for Rosebank will have to be reconsidered to take into account those extra emissions, but Equinor can carry on with installation meanwhile.
Highlands and Islands MSP Burgess said Shetlanders need to be careful about “who is paying” for their children’s learning.
“It’s not fair for companies that make money from oil to have a significant say in what kids learn about energy and the environment,” she told Shetland News.
“It could mean that the lessons are more about helping the company look good than telling the full truth about climate change.
“They shaped the narrative decades ago when scientists first raised concerns about climate change.
“Due to these companies’ denial of the impact of climate change we now face this extremely challenging time of transition that should have started long ago.” Burgess said learning should help young people understand all our options for the future, “including our move to renewables and why we must transition away from fossil fuels”.
“Now more than ever, young people need education in critical thinking and decision making so they have the tools and skills that will ensure life on this planet for their and future generations.”
The Green politician said that there should be “greater transparency” about who was funding children’s education.
“If schools are accepting corporate sponsorship, this should be from a range of sources, with clear guidelines and independent oversight,” she said.
With a number of renewable projects on the horizon – including onshore and offshore wind farms – Burgess said Shetland was in a position to “lead the way in clean energy”.
She said every young person will be “dealing with the consequences of the climate and nature emergencies”, so it was important “they get the full picture – not just the version that helps oil companies.”
Shetland Islands Council said it could not comment as it would need input from its head teachers, who are currently off work for the summer holidays.
Equinor said the aim of their sponsorship was to “generate interest in science, technology, and innovation”.
UK spokesperson Alice Baxter said those who taught the classes were not representatives of Equinor, and not trained or employed by them.
She said the Newton Room was not mentioned among Equinor’s sponsorships on its web page because it was a “social investment – not a sponsorship activity”.
“As such, it is not designed for publicity, brand visibility, or to strengthen our reputation,” Baxter said.
“This investment was not to promote our brand, declining the opportunity to promote our logo onto the Newton Rooms themselves.
“We are proud of the investment, and the impact that it will have on these communities”.
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