Today Heriot-Watt University becomes the 110th UK university to divest from fossil fuels, bolstering the percentage of Scottish Fossil Free universities to 81%. In a highly significant move, the university announced its commitment to exclude fossil fuel extraction companies from all its investments by updating its Investment Policy.
The announcement follows a three year campaign led by Heriot-Watt University Student Union and the Society for Progressive Students, who are a part of People & Planet - the UK’s largest student climate justice campaigns network. The Fossil Free campaign demands that UK universities exclude the fossil fuel industry from their investments. This is in recognition of the industry’s role in the climate and ecological crisis, and as an act of solidarity with frontline and Indigenous communities experiencing the injustices of fossil fuel operations and impacts of the climate crisis. Fossil Free has played an instrumental role in challenging the social licence of the fossil fuel industry to operate as it currently does.
Heriot-Watt University committed to the exclusion of fossil fuel companies from their investments despite a number of wider links to the industry. Research undertaken by openDemocracy, and published in November 2023, found that between 2016 and 2023 Heriot-Watt was in receipt of £7 million in financial contributions from Big Oil. This placed them 5th in the list of top 10 UK universities receiving money from the sector. More than £2.1 million of these financial contributions came from oil giant Shell alone.
It was also exposed that fossil fuel companies had a range of other spheres of influence at the university. From a course intending to prepare students for careers in the oil and gas industry including lectures from a Shell official. To a TotalEnergies representative sitting on the advisory board of the university’s Geoengineering institute - during which no record of what was discussed was being kept. This shows that despite a university’s wider enmeshment with fossil fuels, the decision to divest from fossil fuels is increasingly a common sense choice, as universities align with student and staff demands for a just transition to a low-carbon world.
Laura Clayson, Campaign Manager: Climate Justice at People & Planet, said: “Huge congratulations to all the students and staff that have tirelessly campaigned and worked for Fossil Free at Heriot-Watt! This commitment clearly shows that regardless of wider ties to fossil fuels, investment holdings are no longer permissible. We hope this is the beginning of a period of reflection at Heriot-Watt. One that will ultimately lead to an embedding of climate justice across all spheres of the university - and the necessary severing of other fossil fuel company relationships as part of that.
“This commitment also displays the wider shift we are witnessing in Scottish universities as they align themselves with student and worker-led demands for a just transition to a low-carbon world. We hope this announcement will add support to the struggle for social and climate justice in Scotland beyond university campuses - from demands for councils to divest their pension funds, to calls for the Scottish government to refuse a new gas-burning power station in Peterhead.”
Cameron Fields, Heriot-Watt University Student Union President and former student organiser of the Society for Progressive Students, said: "I am incredibly proud that, after three years of determined campaigning, Heriot-Watt University has fully divested from fossil fuels. This victory is a testament to the power of students: when we rise up, we can create real change. We've shown that through collective action—protests, direct action, petitions, and solidarity with groups like the UCU—our voices carry weight, and our collective power cannot be ignored. This was more than just a campaign; it was a demand for accountability in the face of the climate crisis.
“For us, this isn't just a win; it's a powerful reminder of what student power can achieve. We've proven that our Union, and our students, can take on big challenges and come out successful. With this victory, we're more committed than ever to confronting the root causes of injustice. We'll keep pushing until every part of our university aligns with ethical and sustainable principles. Our fight for justice is far from over, and we're ready to bring this energy to the next battle."
Sally Clark, Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic news that Heriot-Watt has committed to end its investments in fossil fuels after an incredible campaign by students and staff who are calling for a fossil-free future and a liveable planet for everyone.
“With 2024 predicted to be the hottest year on record, it has never been more urgent for universities and other institutions to break their ties with the coal, oil and gas companies that are fuelling climate breakdown with their expansion plans.
“Our institutions should be investing in climate solutions like social housing and renewable energy that can protect communities here in Scotland and around the world.”