Aberdeen Science Centre has renewed its sponsorship deal with Norwegian oil giant Equinor for another year, following a UK summer of consecutive record-breaking heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires, which scientists have confirmed are fuelled by climate change.
The museum announced the continuation of its seven-year partnership with Equinor hot on the heels of 10 days of blazes that tore through the Cairngorms National Park — the smoke visible from Aberdeen, nearly 60 miles away — and amid the oil giant’s development of two major North Sea drilling projects, Jackdaw and Rosebank.
Scottish Greens MSP for North East Scotland, Maggie Chapman said that Aberdeen Science Centre does very important work, “but this partnership shows how fossil fuel giants seek to buy social credibility while continuing to fuel the climate crisis.”
Jackdaw is a gas field located about 150 miles off the east coast of Aberdeen, while the Rosebank oil field lies around 80 miles north-west of Shetland. Equinor and Shell are in a joint partnership, called Adura, to develop both projects.
Proponents of Jackdaw and Rosebank say the projects will boost the UK’s energy resilience by increasing domestic production. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not ruled out granting approval for the two projects, despite warnings from climate scientists across that country that it would fly in the face of scientific advice.
