Australian students as young as 10 are being taught climate change lessons shaped by a fossil fuel company, according to a New Report from climate communications charity Comms Declare.
The investigation reveals that Shell’s QGC gas business has provided more than $10 million to the Queensland Museum, gaining potential influence to school programs and science education used by thousands of young people across the country.
Despite Queensland Museum’s assurances that its work remains independent, the report shows that Shell-branded educational materials downplay or omit fossil fuels as the primary driver of climate change, instead pushing individual responsibility, technological distractions such as carbon capture, and portraying Shell as a responsible actor in a warming world.
These revelations come amid growing scrutiny of fossil fuel sponsorships across Australia, following Monash University’s move to end its partnership with Woodside Energy, concerns around Woodside’s relationship with the Western Australian Museum, and previous controversy over Santos’ involvement in a school science roadshow.
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Misleading materials reaching children
The report warns that misleading content is reaching primary and secondary students, shaping how children understand science, responsibility, and the industries driving global warming. Examples documented include:
- Teaching ocean acidification without mentioning fossil fuels as the main cause
- Modelling climate change over 5,000 years, disguising the urgency of current warming
- Presenting fossil fuels as an aspirational career path
- Burying accurate climate information in appendices rather than core lessons.
Expert commentary
Belinda Noble, Founder of Comms Declare, said the case raises national alarm bells. “This is climate obstruction dressed up as education. We wouldn’t let Big Tobacco sponsor teaching materials – fossil fuel companies shouldn’t shape how kids learn about the climate.”
Climate Councillor Professor Lesley Hughes, who is a former lead author on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, has reviewed these teaching materials. She said: “As a climate change scientist I’m appalled that a fossil fuel company is involved in science education for our young people, who will be the ones to suffer the most from their climate-wrecking activities.”
Nic Seaton, CEO of Parents for Climate, said: “As parents, we simply want our children to learn the truth about the world they will inherit. Our kids deserve independent, accurate climate education that empowers them to thrive in a rapidly warming world, not materials that protect corporate interests at the expense of their future.”
Dr Eve Mayes, Senior Research Fellow (Pedagogy and Education) at Deakin University, says: “We are living in times when young people urgently need accurate, age-appropriate resources to make sense of climate change and to imagine and work towards just energy transitions. Yet it’s troubling that the learning experiences offered in cultural institutions are being compromised by vested interests.”
The report calls for national standards to prevent fossil fuel companies from influencing climate or environmental education, aligning with emerging international guidelines such as the UK’s restrictions on environmentally harmful sponsorships.
Comms Declare is urging museums, galleries, science centres and education authorities across Australia to commit to fossil fuel-free, scientifically accurate climate education, ensuring that no fossil fuel company shapes the information provided to young people.