Key Takeaways
- The Queensland Museum has been accused of misleading teachers and children about the root cause of the climate crisis through a multimillion-dollar education partnership with Shell’s Queensland Gas Company.
- The Future Makers learning program ignores the root cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels, including gas.
- Climate scientists agree that the best way to tackle the climate crisis is to stop burning fossil fuels that put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
- The program has been downloaded 400,000 times, and Shell’s support has helped provide free professional development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching for 1,700 teachers.
- Climate advocacy groups and scientists are calling for the museum to review the materials and end its association with Shell.
Introduction to the Controversy
The Queensland Museum has been embroiled in a controversy surrounding its education partnership with Shell’s Queensland Gas Company. The partnership, which has been in place since 2015, has been accused of misleading teachers and children about the root cause of the climate crisis. The Future Makers learning program, which is sponsored by Shell, produces teaching materials and runs free professional development courses for teachers. However, a review of the program’s climate change materials by climate advocacy group Comms Declare has claimed that they ignore the root cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels, including gas.
The Omission of Fossil Fuels
The Future Makers worksheets and learning materials about global warming, designed for years 7 to 10, explain how greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are rising and causing rapid warming, but the cause of the rise – mainly fossil fuel burning – is not explained. When covering ocean acidification for students in years 9 and 10, the program "never identifies fossil fuel combustion as the dominant source" of changes in ocean chemistry, according to Comms Declare. Instead, pupils are encouraged to design a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system, which the teaching materials claim is being developed by "many scientists" to "remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and oceans". This approach has been criticized by climate scientists, who agree that the best way to tackle the climate crisis is to stop burning fossil fuels that put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the first place.
Criticism from Climate Scientists
Lesley Hughes, a climate change scientist and professor emerita at Macquarie University, has expressed her disappointment and concern about the partnership. She stated that she was "appalled" that a fossil fuel company was involved in science education for young people "who will be the ones to suffer the most from their climate-wrecking activities". Dr. Eve Mayes, a research fellow at Deakin University, has also criticized the program, saying that there is a conflict of interest and that the influence of fossil fuel philanthropy on teaching should be questioned. She argued that teachers are often struggling to find resources, and that the program may be steering how climate change is being studied.
The Impact of the Program
The Future Makers program has been downloaded 400,000 times, and Shell’s support has helped provide free professional development in STEM teaching for 1,700 teachers. However, the Comms Declare report has claimed that the program’s omission of fossil fuels from lessons on climate change undermines students’ understanding of cause and effect. The report states that "by omitting fossil fuels from lessons on climate change, these materials undermine students’ understanding of cause and effect. Students may know what CO₂ is but not where it comes from or why reducing fossil fuel use is central to solving climate change. This erodes climate literacy at the foundational level."
Response from the Museum and Shell
The Queensland Museum has defended the program, stating that it has "delivered hands-on science and technology programs and events inspiring the next generation of scientists and innovators" and "delivered real results for Queensland teachers and students… empowering young people, and educators to build essential STEM skills for Queensland’s future". The museum has also stated that all its learning resources are in line with federal and state education curriculums and will be reviewed as new versions are released. Shell Australia declined to comment on the matter.
Conclusion and Call to Action
The controversy surrounding the Queensland Museum’s education partnership with Shell’s Queensland Gas Company highlights the need for transparency and accountability in education partnerships. Climate advocacy groups and scientists are calling for the museum to review the materials and end its association with Shell. The museum must consider the potential conflict of interest and the impact of the program on students’ understanding of climate change. Ultimately, the museum has a responsibility to provide accurate and unbiased information to students, and it must take steps to ensure that its education programs are not influenced by the interests of fossil fuel companies.
