Earth Equity News

Big Oil Influencing University Climate Research, According to Study. By Margot Roosevelt, LATimes, 10/14/10. “Have hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from major oil companies compromised the ethics of energy research at such institutions as UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Stanford? That's what Jennifer Washburn, a longtime critic of academic conflicts of interest, contends in Big Oil Goes to College [PDF, 220 pp], a new report that delves into the details of contracts signed between 10 major U.S. universities and global oil companies. According to the 212-page study, released by the Center for American Progress… such companies as BP, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips have funded more than $800 million in potentially compromised research with few protections for academic independence.”