Date:    March 16 2023

Time:   15.15- 18.00

Venue: Gaia 1+2, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, Wageningen

You can register here: https://forms.gle/7tzVSSa8hauuBXeDA

Organized by: S4F Wageningen, CSPS and W*O*L*F*

Key-notes

Brigitte Wear

Researcher and writer at The Jester and student of Wageningen University.

Vatan Hüzeir

Researcher-activist, advisor in climate change & energy, PhD-candidate on climate activism, director Changerism, chair Fossielvrij NL.

Moderated by: Philipp Gramlich (S4F-NL)

Programme

Reception (15.00-15.15)

Presentations (15.15-16.15) Moderated by: Philipp Gramlich (S4F-NL)

Introduction.

Presentation 1: Fossil ties and climate obstruction by Brigitte Wear.

Presentation 2: Mapping the ties by Vatan Hüzeir.

Q and A with the presenters.

Workshops (16.15-17.30)

1. Mapping the ties.
2. Freedom of Information Act request (aka WOB/WOO request) by Joost Jongerden 
3. 99 reasons to cut the ties and how to counter climate delay strategies.
4. Effective action: strategies and tactics by Linda Knoester and Aaron Pereira (Solid Sustainability Research). 

Wrap up and drinks (17.30-18.00) Moderated by: Philipp Gramlich (S4F-NL)

Main outcomes of the workshops (2-3 min/workshop).

Mapping fossil ties NL – a national research project. Presented by Aaron Pereira (Independent researcher with Solid Sustainability Research, part of a coalition to coordinate mapping the fossil ties of all Dutch universities)

Note:

S4F Wageningen, CSPS and W*O*L*F* present: Mapping fossil ties,  a symposium | Observing, understanding and problematizing the relationships between Dutch Universities and Big Oil

Universities are closely tied to the fossil industry through student “eco-awards”, campus recruitment activities, alumni networks, research funding and sponsorships of student associations. The ties between Dutch universities and the fossil industry are vast and date back to at least the sixties of the last century. Those ties are increasingly under pressure. Under the banner of End Fossil: Occupy! students occupied Erasmus University Rotterdam, Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Amsterdam. Dutch researchers and internationally respected climate scientists emphatically backed the students’ demand: cut the ties with the fossil industry. To deepen our knowledge about these so-called ties and to understand why they are problematic we organize the event named: Mapping fossil ties, a symposium. The event marks the beginning of a project aimed at observing, understanding and problematizing the relationships between Dutch Universities and Big Oil. During the event we will render visible the current and past ties between Dutch Universities and fossil companies, like Shell. It aims to collect data on the different projects that are sponsored by the fossil industry or projects in which the fossil industry is involved. By mapping the fossil ties, we hope to gain a better understanding of the role of the fossil industry in the universities and to map out the differences in the (financial) involvement of the fossil industry between the different universities in the Netherlands. These insights will be used to make an interactive map of the Netherlands that visualizes all the ties. We deem it useful to help universities to get back their independence from the fossil industry.