British Museum must sever its links with BP

[mayya]

British Museum must sever its links with BP

Letter from Margaret Atwood, Mark Ruffalo, Mark Rylance, Tom Kibble, Naomi Klein, Emma Thompson, Vivienne Westwood and others


 The Great Court inside the British Museum in London. Photograph: John Walton/PALetters

Sunday 3 April 2016 16.00 BSTLast modified on Sunday 3 April 201622.00 BST


 
We congratulate Dr Hartwig Fischer on his new role as director of the British Museum (Profile, 1 April), and would like to take this early opportunity to raise an ethical issue of great concern to us all. As the impacts of climate change are being felt more forcefully around the world, it is vital that prominent public institutions like the British Museum play their part in minimising the environmental impacts of their activities.

BP’s sponsorship contract with the museum is coming to an end this year. While governments in Paris committed to transition away from fossil fuels, BP remains a barrier to progress. It is working to extract new sources of carbon-intensive oil from the tar sands, the Arctic and under the oceans, when we need to keep at least two thirds of known fossil fuels in the ground. BP’s business plan is incompatible with a stable climate, and the company is using its influence to lobby against effective climate policies.

 
 
Meanwhile, its operations are affecting lives and livelihoods across the world. The company was recently hit with the biggest criminal fine in US history for its gross negligence in causing the Deepwater Horizon spill.
To receive sponsorship from BP is to condone these business practices. Retaining such an unethical sponsor would seriously damage the British Museum’s reputation, and place it firmly on the wrong side of history. Indeed, Tate and BP have just parted company after 26 years, following intensifying protests and criticism. We urge Dr Fischer to follow Tate’s lead in not renewing this contract, and to seek funding from sources more in line with the museum’s values and what is needed to ensure a stable future.

Professor Anne Glover Vice-principal external affairs, University of Aberdeen, former chief scientific adviser to the European Commission
Margaret Atwood Writer
Mark Ruffalo Actor
Mark Rylance Actor
Dr Jane Goodall DBE Founder the Jane Goodall Institute, and UN messenger of peace
Sir Tom Kibble Emeritus professor of physics, Imperial College London
Naomi Klein Author, activist and film-maker
Jeremy Leggett Author, solar entrepreneur and advocate
Richard Horton Editor-in-chief, The Lancet
Simon Lewis Professor of global change science at UCL
Emma Thompson Actor
Naomi Oreskes Professor of the history of science, Harvard
Mark Goldring Chief executive, Oxfam GB
Dr Nick Winterbotham Director, BTC & Museums and Resilient Leadership; chair, RNLI Heritage Board
Mark Serwotka General secretary, PCS union
Dame Vivienne Westwood Designer
Bianca Jagger Founder and president of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation
Dr Chris Brierly Lecturer in climate modelling, UCL
Dr Philip Webber Chair, Scientists for Global Responsibility
Richard Sandell Professor of museum studies, University of Leicester
Caryl Churchill Playwright
John McDonnell MP Shadow chancellor
Judith Knight Director, Artsadmin
Anthony Roberts Director, Colchester Arts Centre
Sir Jonathon Porritt Environmentalist and writer
Dr Stephen Webster Director, Imperial College Science Communication Unit
Professor Hugh Montgomery Professor of Intensive Care Medicine; head of Centre for Human Health and Performance, UCL; Director of Research, Institute for Sport, Exercise and Health
Dr Stuart Parkinson Executive director, Scientists for Global Responsibility
Gail Davies Professor in human geography, Exeter
Caroline Lucas MP
Jenny Jones London Assembly member
Andrew Stirling Professor of science and technology policy, University of Sussex
Julian Sainsbury Chair of the JJ Charitable Trust
Bill McKibben Author, educator, environmentalist, and co-founder of 350.org
Julie Ward MEP Member of the European parliament’s culture and education committee
Miriam Margolyes Actor
Pasco-Q Kevlin Director, Norwich Arts Centre
David Webb Professor emeritus, Leeds Beckett University
Richard Murphy Professor of practice in international political economy, City University
Robin Ince Comedian, broadcaster and writer
Anthony Roberts Director, Colchester Arts Centre
Dr David McCoy Director of Medact and director of global health teaching, Queen Mary’s University London
Gavin Grindon Curator of “Disobedient Objects” at the V&A and director of the Centre for Curatorial Studies, University of Essex
Alice Sharp Curator and director, Invisible Dust
Sarah Butler-Sloss Chair of Ashden Trust
Senator Larissa Waters Senator for Queensland, Australian Greens deputy leader
Sibylle Peters Director, Theatre of Research/Fundus Theatre, Hamburg
Ben Twist Director, Creative Carbon Scotland
CJ Mitchell Director, Live Art Development Agency
Peter Newell Professor of international relations, University of Sussex
Andrew Simms Author and co-director, New Weather Institute
Antony Partos Composer
Jon Agar Professor of science and technology studies, UCL
Jonathan Oppenheim Professor of quantum theory and Royal Society university research fellow, UCL
Lois Keidan Director, Live Art Development Agency
Lucy Neal Author, Playing for Time, and happiness associate, Happy Museum Project
Clara Paillard President of PCS Culture Sector
David Boyle Co-director, New Weather Institute and author
Dr Alice Bell Science writer and campaigner
Dr Andy Fugard Lecturer in educational psychology, UCL
Dr Chloe Preece Lecturer in marketing, Royal Holloway, University of London, School of Management
Dr Chris Garrard Composer and musicologist
Dr Jeremy Skipper Experimental psychologist, UCL
Dr Kate McMillan Teaching fellow in culture, media and creative industries, King’s College London
Dr Nigel Westlake Composer and conductor
Edward Mortimer Former UN director of communications
Gill Lloyd Director, Artsadmin
Indira Naidoo Australian TV broadcaster, author and environmentalist
Jane Greenfield Director, Home Live Art
Janna Graham Curator
Jen Kavanagh Curator
John Sauven Executive director, Greenpeace UK
Mark Sainsbury Chairman, Mark Leonard Trust
Michael Kieran Harvey Pianist
Mieke Bal Cultural theorist and video artist, Amsterdam
Rod Dixon Artistic director, Red Ladder Theatre Co
Thea Ormerod President, Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
Tim Hollo Musician, executive director of Green Music Australia
TJ Demos Center for Creative Ecologies, UC Santa Cruz
Jess Worth Art Not Oil coalition
John Collee Novelist and screenwriter
Wael Hmaidan Director, Climate Action Network International
Dr Felicity Mellor Science Communication Unit, Imperial College London
Cressida Brown Artistic director, Offstage Theatre
Beth Rice Progressive Science Institute
Brett Cottle CEO, Apra Amcos
Bridget McKenzie Director, Flow Associates
Dr Paula Serafini Doctor of social and cultural analysis, King’s College London
Drew Pearce Progressive Science Institute
Benjamin Franta Research fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Geoffrey Supran PhD candidate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology


http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/03/british-museum-bp-sponsorship-hartwig-fischer-climate