Save the Children pulls out of Science Museum event over sponsor concerns

The Science Museum has long been subject to criticism over its sponsorship by Adani Green Energy, part of the Indian coal-mining and energy conglomerate Adani Group. Photograph: Guy Bell/Alamy

Save the Children has pulled out of an event at the Science Museum in London after coming under pressure from its supporters over the institution’s sponsors.

The charity said it had decided to withdraw from an evening event called Journey of Life Lates on 11 September “following concerns from supporters about one of the museum’s sponsors, in the context of current public campaigns”.

It did not name the sponsor in question. However, the museum has been the subject of criticism over its sponsorship by Adani Green Energy, part of the Indian coal-mining and energy conglomerate Adani Group.

Another part of the group, Adani Defence and Aerospace, has a partnership with the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, and longstanding criticism by campaigners of the sponsorship arrangement has intensified since the beginning of the war in Gaza..

In a statement on Instagram, Save the Children said that its planned participation in the event had been “to raise awareness of its global maternal health work, including in Gaza”. The charity has previously called on the UK government to suspend all arms exports and licences to Israel “given the clear risk they might be used to commit or facilitate violations of international humanitarian law”.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the campaigner and food writer, who was also originally scheduled to appear in Wednesday’s event, said in July that he had pulled out after being made aware of the museum’s links with Adani and BP, another supporter, citing climate concerns.

“Like many of you, no doubt, I just made the assumption that a hallowed institution like this would be on the right side of history when it comes to the climate. It turns out not,” he said on Instagram.

The charity Action Against Hunger, also scheduled to take part, said it would be participating in the Lates event “providing information on severe acute malnutrition in children for a stand at the event. However, we will not be participating in any further events hosted by the Science Museum.” It added: “Our focus is on raising awareness about malnutrition, particularly in children, which is critical to our mission.”

It emerged in July that the museum was ending its long-running relationship with the Norwegian oil conglomerate Equinor, sponsor of its Wonderlab children’s gallery, over its climate record.

Emails obtained by campaigners showed that the museum’s director, Ian Blatchford, told Equinor in 2022 that it was in breach of the museum’s pledge to ensure its sponsors complied with the 2015 Paris climate agreement goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C.

In other correspondence, the museum confirmed that sponsors in breach of climate commitments and unable to change course would be subject to gradual disengagement.

Parents for Palestine, a campaign group that has led protests at the museum over the sponsorship deal, said: “We are pleased that Save the Children have pulled out from the Science Museum Lates following pressure from our campaign. We hope that mounting pressure will cause the Science Museum to divest from Adani.”

A Science Museum spokesperson said: “Engaging our audiences with the major challenges of our time is a priority for the museum, and earlier this year we opened a new gallery exploring the urgent energy transition away from fossil fuels that the world needs to see, made possible by generous sponsorship from Adani Green Energy, a renewable energy business.

“We recognise that some campaigners have strong views about sponsorship and wish to see wholesale disengagement from entire sectors. Our trustees disagree with that view and have clearly articulated our approach, both in terms of robust governance and in urging companies, governments and individuals to do more to make the global economy less carbon-intensive.”

Adani Group and BP have been approached for comment.