Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton has received fossil fuel funding and has produced annual reports in which Exxon expresses gratitude for ‘access to extraordinary talent and facilities’.Princeton denies Exxon has had an undue influence over the university’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, which has received fossil fuel funding and has produced
“We chose the project and Exxon was interested enough to support it, my research agenda isn’t impacted at all by who is funding it,” Larson said. “I’m OK with taking Exxon stock out from the Princeton endowment, that’s a way to make a statement, but this was taking research money away from work designed to decarbonize our society as rapidly as possible. We need everyone inside the tent to solve this problem, including the fossil fuel industry.
”. Princeton’s ties to the industry are both deep and historical – letters buried in the university’s library archive show its leadership aggressively courted Exxon in the 1970s, complaining in one instance it has “not received its fair share from Exxon”. One PhD student told the Guardian she was almost certain her work was being funded by fossil fuels but that she had not received a straight answer from the university over this.