SHOCKING revelations were made about University of Oxford's strong ties with 'big oil'– only a year after the university announced it was cutting its ties to the fossil fuel industry.
New findings show that the university has received millions of pounds from fossil fuel giant ExxonMobil, information that was previously 'obscured' by its team, according to the Oxford Climate Justice Campaign (OCJC), which has demanded the university cuts its ties to the industry.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) response shared by the student-run group showed how University of Oxford had received another £6.9 million in donations from the American oil and gas corporation since 2015.
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This information was not shared previously because as the university used Section 12 of the FOI Act to keep certain fossil fuel donations 'secret', the OCTJ highlighted.
A statement from the group called the findings 'shocking and disappointing'.
It added: "They demonstrate just how entwined the fossil fuel industry is in Oxford’s institutions and establishment.
"We are concerned that the concealment around ExxonMobil may suggest that much more information regarding Oxford’s ties to the fossil fuel industry may still be hidden.
"Oxford continues to provide fossil fuel companies with a social licence to continue to destroy the planet and perpetuate injustice."
This comes only months after a report from the group revealed that Oxford University had received more than £112 million in research grants and donations from the fossil fuel industry in the last six years.
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A spokesperson for the university confirmed that the proportion of research funding going into fossil fuel exploration and extraction has declined significantly over the last decade, while the percentage going into renewables projects has increased.
They added: "The University of Oxford safeguards the independence of its teaching and research programmes, regardless of the nature of their funding.
"Those donating money or sponsoring programmes at the university have no influence over how academics carry out their research or what conclusions they reach.
"Researchers publish the results of their work whether the results are seen to be critical or favourable by industry or governments.
"Our partnerships with industry allow the university to apply its knowledge to real challenges of pressing global concern, with funding often going directly into research into climate-related issues and renewables.
"None of the philanthropic funding highlighted by OCJC has gone into extraction and exploration research.
"Rather, it has been used to widen access to education and to fund scholarships, academic posts and capital costs."
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