Columbia Students File Complaint Against Energy Thinktank Over Oil Funding
Student activists from the Sunrise Movement chapter at Columbia University have filed a first-of-its-kind administrative complaint with the New York City consumer protection bureau against the university’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP). The complaint alleges that CGEP engages in deceptive trade practices by concealing the extent of its financial ties to major fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP. While CGEP presents itself as an independent and unbiased source of energy policy research, students argue this representation is misleading and serves to launder the reputation of the oil industry. Internal documents from oil companies reportedly identify CGEP as a strategic partner for shaping public narratives on energy transition. In response, a Columbia spokesperson defended the center, stating that all funders are fully disclosed and that the accusations are unfounded. The students contend that such opaque funding relationships allow big oil to greenwash their business models and obstruct the clean energy transition, raising serious concerns about the integrity of research influencing state and national climate policies.
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Columbia Students File Complaint Against Energy Thinktank Over Oil Funding
Student activists from the Sunrise Movement chapter at Columbia University have filed a first-of-its-kind administrative complaint with the New York City consumer protection bureau against the university’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP). The complaint alleges that CGEP engages in deceptive trade practices by concealing the extent of its financial ties to major fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP. While CGEP presents itself as an independent and unbiased source of energy policy research, students argue this representation is misleading and serves to launder the reputation of the oil industry. Internal documents from oil companies reportedly identify CGEP as a strategic partner for shaping public narratives on energy transition. In response, a Columbia spokesperson defended the center, stating that all funders are fully disclosed and that the accusations are unfounded. The students contend that such opaque funding relationships allow big oil to greenwash their business models and obstruct the clean energy transition, raising serious concerns about the integrity of research influencing state and national climate policies.
The Guardian