Fossil fuel companies h ave long known about the dire impacts of their operations, and yet th ey have continued to expand extraction and spread climate disinformat ion. World governments have been negotiating to limit the worst impac ts of global heating for 30 years. And the general public is well awa re of the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.
Yet, despite em pty talk about an "energy transition", the world has never burned as much coal, oil and gas as in 2025. The climate question is not define d by evidence and rational argumentation, but by relationships of pow er. To protect its power from rising anti-fossil fuel sentiment, the fossil fuel industry has been scrambling to deepen its instituti onal capture of reputable academic, cultural and sports institutions. Through sponsorships, secondments, and collaborations, they have und ertaken a public relations operation to portray themselves as "part o f the solution" to the climate crisis. This narrative allows them to remain a legitimate political actor, continue exerting influence on p ublic debate and policymaking, and delay legislative, political, cult ural and social transformations to phase out fossil fuels.
In&n bsp;this roundtable, academics, investigative journalists and action- oriented researchers discuss their different roles and how they can w ork together effectively to:
Join us in person at the Green Offic e to discuss how we can liberate our public institutions to serve the common good rather than private extractive interests. This event is open to everyone interested, please register through the link above.< /p>
This round table is organised by the Amsterdam Sustainability I nstitute in collaboration with Climate Obstruction NL. Right after th is event, the SDG Academy on the EJAtlas follows. More information an d registration here.
DESCRIPTION: Yet, despite empty talk about an "energy transition", the world has never burned as much coal, oil and gas as in 2025. The cli mate question is not defined by evidence and rational argumentation, but by relationships of power. To protect its power from rising anti-fossil fuel sentiment, the fossil fuel industry has been scrambl ing to deepen its institutional capture of reputable academic, cultur al and sports institutions. Through sponsorships, secondments, and co llaborations, they have undertaken a public relations operation to po rtray themselves as "part of the solution" to the climate crisis. Thi s narrative allows them to remain a legitimate political actor, conti nue exerting influence on public debate and policymaking, and delay l egislative, political, cultural and social transformations to phase o ut fossil fuels. In this roundtable, academics, investigative jo urnalists and action-oriented researchers discuss their different rol es and how they can work together effectively to: