London Science Museum

Activists condemn London Science Museum over coal-linked sponsorship

Tie-up with subsidiary of the Adani Group denounced as ‘reckless.’

BY LOUIS WESTENDARP

Climate activists have hit out after the London Science Museum announced that its new "Energy Revolution" gallery will be sponsored by a subsidiary of the Adani Group, a conglomerate with coal mining operations in India, Indonesia and Australia.

The "Adani Green Energy Gallery" will open in 2023 and, according to a statement, will "explore the latest climate science and the energy revolution needed to cut global dependence on fossil fuels and achieve the Paris targets to limit global warming to around 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels."

Climate activists condemned the agreement as “reckless,” as Adani Green Energy is the wind and solar energy arm of the Adani Group, which is responsible for some contested coal mining projects, such as the Carmichael coal mine in Australia.

"Their enthusiasm for fossil fuel partnerships has turned controversy into a crisis of credibility, and they must be held to account for their reckless decisions," said Jess Worth, co-director of Culture Unstained. The London Science Museum was also criticized in June for a partnership with Shell.

"We’re hugely grateful to Adani Green Energy for the significant financial support they are providing for this gallery," said Mary Archer, chair of the board of trustees of the London Science Museum.

In two weeks, the COP26 climate summit will be starting in Glasgow where global leaders are expected to discuss rolling back the use of coal globally, with Alok Sharma, COP26 president, saying he wants to “consign coal to history.”