Welsh University Ends Ties with Fossil Fuel and Mining Companies

Climate activists are celebrating after Aberystwyth University has committed to ending its recruitment ties with fossil fuel and mining companies.

The university states that it will “no longer collaborate or hold relationships” with fossil fuel, mining, or tobacco companies in an updated Ethical Careers Policy published on its website.

Josie Mizen, co-director for climate justice at People & Planet said: “We’re delighted to see Aberystwyth committing to cutting fossil fuel and mining companies out of its careers and recruitment activities.

Commitments

“By doing this, the university is sending a clear message: that it will put the future of its students ahead of fossil fuel industry profits.

“As the climate crisis escalates, it’s never been clearer that universities have a crucial role to play in turning the tide against the fossil fuel industry. It’s encouraging to see Welsh universities leading the way in cutting ties with the companies most responsible for this crisis.”

“We hope that more universities will follow their lead before it’s too late.”

The announcement makes Aberystwyth the 10th British university, and the third in Wales, to publish such a policy, following similar commitments from the universities of Swansea in November 2023 and Wrexham in December 2022.

Industry

Aberystwyth made its commitment after negotiations with People & Planet, the UK’s largest student-led campaigning charity.

The charity coordinates the UK-wide Fossil Free Careers campaign, which demands university careers services adopt an Ethical Careers Policy that excludes oil, gas, and mining companies from recruitment relationships, in order to “end recruitment pipelines” into extractive industries.

Fossil Free Careers has been endorsed by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU), as well as by 26 campus-based Students’ and Worker Union branches.

Student campaigners across the UK are using this latest victory to push for similar exclusions on other campuses, particularly at the University of Bangor, where students have been negotiating for fossil fuel industry exclusions since September.

This Author

Brendan Montague is editor of The Ecologist.