The British overseas workplace introduced Petronas’ backing of the Chevening scholarship programme earlier this 12 months. The oil big, along with the overseas workplace, will collectively present funding for 2 Malaysian college students yearly to pursue grasp’s levels in sustainability research within the UK. No estimates got on how a lot funding Petronas has dedicated to.
In an open letter to the British Excessive Fee in Malaysia printed on Tuesday, Kuala Lumpur-based local weather advocacy group Rimbawatch mentioned Petronas’ sponsorship harms the programme’s credibility, and raised questions concerning the affect of the oil agency over the scholarship and the students.
The involvement of Petronas representatives within the number of students may hinder alternatives for these concerned in local weather justice activism and advocacy in opposition to fossil fuels, stifling the expansion of unbiased sustainability students in Malaysia engaged on efficient options to the local weather disaster, the letter learn.
It famous that whereas a few of Malaysia’s high sustainability professionals are alumni of the Chevening scholarship, the fame of the programme could be affected by a fossil gas firm linked to environmental and human rights abuses sponsoring college students of sustainability disciplines.
The attraction from Rimbawatch comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of the affect of fossil fuels corporations over the velocity of the power transition and local weather motion. Earlier this month, the United Nations mentioned {that a} international “backlash” in opposition to local weather motion was being stoked by the fossil gas trade to influence world leaders to delay insurance policies to curb planet-heating greenhouse gasoline emissions.
Rimbawatch’s letter highlighted Petronas’ contribution to international emissions and mentioned the agency had greenwashed its local weather credentials with weak emissions discount targets, and has been linked to human rights controversies and threats to biodiversity. Particularly, Petronas has drawn criticism for a web zero goal that omits Scope 3 emissions, that are by far the biggest chunk of its carbon footprint.
In response to the letter, the British Excessive Fee’s Malaysian Chevening workforce mentioned that the choice on who is chosen for the scholarship is made independently of sponsors, and students will not be topic to any obligations, besides that they need to return to their house nation after their research.
The selection of Petronas as a sponsor “matches the UK’s give attention to reaching web zero” and “collaborating to safe a simply power transition,” it mentioned. The partnership would additionally assist develop the expertise pool of sustainability specialists that will be key in Malaysia’s personal web zero transition journey, it mentioned.
Petronas informed Eco-Enterprise in an announcement that its sponsorship of the Chevening Scholarship mirrored its ambition to equip future leaders with expertise to handle sustainability challenges, and added that it valued the independence of the students.
“We imagine that by offering entry to world-class training, they are going to be empowered to convey revolutionary concepts and accountable practices to the forefront,” the corporate mentioned.
In its open communications, Petronas has emphasised on the way it needs to equip or purchase expertise with technical experience to embed sustainability into decision-making and each day operations.
Its high management has mentioned that it’ll prioritise workers redeployment over worker layoffs amid the worldwide shift in the direction of cleaner power, although its chief government officer Tengku Muhammad Taufik holds the view that oil and gasoline will nonetheless make up 40 to 45 per cent of the worldwide power combine over the subsequent three a long time.
The British Excessive Fee famous {that a} quarter of Chevening students globally are sponsored by different supporting organisations. In Malaysia, they embrace CIMB Basis, the philanthropic arm of Malaysian financial institution CIMB, and Yayasan Khazanah, a basis arrange by Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund.
The Chevening scholarship programme has offered funding for college kids who can exhibit a dedication to drive optimistic change of their house international locations to review within the UK since 1983.
Different fossil fuels sponsors of the Chevening scholarship have included British oil and gasoline agency BP, Indian coal-to-ports conglomerate Adani and Petrofund, a belief fund arrange by the Namibian Authorities to construct capability for the oil and gasoline sector.
