The President of the UCL Engineering Society Ashley Tsoi warned Activities Zone members that banning clubs and societies from accepting sponsorships from fossil fuel companies will hinder the global transition to green energy and their careers.
The warning, widely criticised by Zone members as an attempt to justify “greenwashing”, came after the Union withheld the Society’s application to sign a new sponsorship agreement with Shell pending a joint decision by the sabb team and the Sustainability Officer.
The Union previously had a policy that explicitly prohibited clubs and societies from accepting sponsorships from fossil fuel companies, but became non-binding guidance when the policy lapsed in 2016.
However, fossil fuel companies are still listed under “companies which may not be approved due to our belief in inclusive societies” in the depths of the Union’s website.
The Cheese Grater understands that the Union wishes to codify its stance on fossil fuel sponsorships and asked Zone members for their input as a discussion point during their first meeting two weeks ago.
Tsoi argued that any policy on club and society sponsorship should not ban fossil fuel companies but “focus on the sustainability side more.”
She added: “If we are gonna block them off and say no completely, for us to be the future world leaders, how are we going to take over these companies and push the sustainability policies?”
However, citing the Articles of Association, Non-Portfolio Societies Rep and Student Trustee Seth Harris was keen to remind Zone members of the Union’s constitutional commitment to “fulfil its objects in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.”
He argued that any policy allowing societies to be sponsored by oil and gas companies would directly contravene that commitment.
The Soc Rep also challenged Tsoi’s claim that engineering students are broadly on one side of the argument, telling the Zone that as a former engineering student himself, he knows that many students are opposed to such sponsorships.
The Engineering Society president responded by saying: “Personally, as an international student, I don’t want to spend so much money to come here to get an education for me to then be unemployed afterwards.”
One student observer from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering echoed Tsoi’s concern and argued that students should not be inhibited from “being at the cutting-edge to that switch to green energy”.
But Zone members were quick to point out that these were blatant greenwashing tactics by fossil fuel companies and questioned the morality behind the logic.
Harris said: “They have environmental policies that go nowhere near far enough to tackle the climate crisis”, and that banning sponsorships would be a “clear message that that’s not on.”
When another Zone member questioned how necessary sponsorship funding was to the Society’s finances, Tsoi admitted: “It’s not like we can’t operate without the money or whatever”.
She closed the debate by conceding that there should be “somewhat of a policy to say ‘no greenwashing’” but drew the line on a complete ban on oil and gas sponsorships, which she described as “a bit extreme”.
The climate crisis has already caused significant and irreversible damage to the planet and is on track to bring about an unprecedented level of death and suffering across the globe, almost every climate scientist under the sun now agrees.
Nonetheless, in 2020, oil giant Shell – the company the Engineering Society wants a sponsorship from – said it aims to spend almost the same amount of money on renewable energy as it will on marketing – $2-3bn – compared to $17bn slated for fossil fuels.
Records also show that the Engineering Society did not apply for any grant funding from the Union last year despite being eligible for additional funding under the Student Life Strategy as a departmental society.
This article appeared in the Digestive 4
