Image: Chris Packham at the Science Museum protest (Andrea Domeniconi)
A protest over the weekend at the museum’s new gallery was supported by the naturalist and TV presenter
Protesters staged a demonstration inside the Science Museum’s new climate gallery, Energy Revolution, over the weekend, forcing it to temporarily close.
Protestors from groups including Youth Action for Climate Justice and members of Scientists for Extinction Rebellion sat in at the gallery in protest of its sponsorship by Adani, a conglomerate which is invested in both renewable and non-renewable energy.
On Friday naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham visited the protestors. Activist group Culture Unstained quotes Packham as having said: “The Science Museum is a place to spark imagination, to provide answers but also to encourage us to ask questions. The question I’m asking today is a big one, “why on earth are we allowing a destructive industry to sponsor an educational exhibition whilst simultaneously setting fire to young peoples futures?””
IT STINKS ! The #Adani sponsorship of the ‘Energy Revolution’ gallery at @sciencemuseum betrays science , truth and our youth . That’s why @ScientistsX & @y_climatejust have occupied the gallery . Fossil fuels need to stay in the ground . @Cult_Unstained #dropadani #stopadani pic.twitter.com/Is0tyhxNkG
— Chris Packham (@ChrisGPackham) April 14, 2024
The Science Museum has argued that it has only partnered with the Green Energy division of Adani, but has received criticism for the conglomerate’s broader links to the fossil fuel industry.
The sponsorship deal, first announced in 2021, saw the resignation of trustees Dr Jo Foster and Dr Hannah Fry. In 2022, teachers and educators launched an open letter to the museum, renewing pressure to drop fossil fuel companies as sponsors.
Dr. Aaron Thierry, a scientist, who has researched climate impacts in the Arctic, is among those to have taken part in the recent protest. Thierry said: “The latest science has shown we must leave the majority of fossil fuels unburned to prevent catastrophic changes to our climate.
“The museum’s management needs to follow the example of Britain’s other leading cultural institutions and drop all ties to the fossil fuel industry.“