Queensland museum under fire for shell-sponsored climate education program that omits fossil fuel role

The Queensland Museum is facing sharp criticism over its decade-long educational partnership with Shell’s Queensland Gas Company, which advocacy groups claim is deliberately misleading students about climate change causes.

Since 2015, Shell has sponsored the museum’s “Future Makers” learning program, providing multimillion-dollar funding to create teaching materials and professional development courses for educators across Queensland. However, a recent analysis by climate advocacy group Comms Declare reveals a troubling gap in the curriculum: while the materials explain that rising greenhouse gases are causing global warming, they conspicuously omit that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of these emissions.

“This is climate obstruction dressed up as education,” said Belinda Noble, founder of Comms Declare. “We wouldn’t let big tobacco sponsor teaching materials – fossil fuel companies shouldn’t shape how kids learn about the climate.” The program’s worksheets and learning materials, designed for students in years 7-10, describe the mechanics of global warming without connecting the dots to fossil fuel consumption – a glaring omission that critics argue serves Shell’s business interests rather than educational goals.

This controversy highlights a growing concern about corporate influence in environmental education, particularly when energy companies sponsor materials about topics directly related to their industry. The case raises important questions about whether educational institutions should accept funding from fossil fuel companies for climate-related programming, and whether such partnerships compromise the integrity of environmental science education for young Australians.