How Welsh universities are leading the way in a just transition from fossil fuels

Maddie Bromfield, Climate Justice Officer at People & Planet

As the fossil fuel industry rolls back on already insufficient climate targets, Universities across Wales are leading the way in cutting ties with the industry which has repeatedly shown disregard for both communities and the climate.

The University of South Wales has now become the latest Welsh University to boycott fossil fuel industry recruitment through its careers service, as students demand their institutions refuse to prop up this exploitative industry.

This comes as part of the wider movement for a ‘just transition’ away from fossil fuels – a transition to a more sustainable future that prioritises stable jobs and the livelihoods of local communities, not simply leaving the transition away from carbon in the hands of large corporations driven by maximising their own profits.

With 100% of Welsh universities divested from fossil fuels and over half now boycotting fossil fuel industry recruitment, it’s clear that universities in Wales are leading by example in the move towards climate justice.

Against a backdrop of local communities fighting the environmental and social damage left by the fossil fuel industry, the Welsh University context highlights how true climate justice means universities must stand by their communities and not leave the transition from fossil fuels in the hands of an industry which consistently treats both communities and the planet as expendable.

With its rich mining history, Wales has been at the centre of the fossil fuel industry, yet has also been burdened with the damage left behind by the industry.

Wales has seen companies which once promised jobs and prosperity pack up and leave once sufficient resources and labour have been extracted from communities, leaving behind environmental damage, job losses and a financial cost to local authorities.

This latest commitment from the University of South Wales to boycott fossil fuel recruitment on campus highlights how a just transition for workers means a step away from an industry that has failed to stand by both workers and local communities.

With its origins in the Monmouthshire School of Mines, the University of South Wales demonstrates how an institution, which once provided education for young mineworkers, remains committed to the futures of its graduates and the wider community, by placing workers and the climate over the profits of fossil fuel industry bosses.

Ffos y Fran coal mine

At the site of the Ffos y Fran coal mine in Merthyr, communities are currently facing an ongoing struggle to hold Merthyr Limited to account for promised environmental restoration work which was never completed and could have provided employment to the local community following the closure of the site.

Meanwhile when workers at the Tata Steelworks in Port Talbot faced redundancies following the closure of blast furnaces, Tata continued to contribute to the climate crisis through its use of imported gas, instead of prioritising a just transition for workers and the climate.

It’s clear that these large corporations are both fundamentally disconnected from the local communities in which they operate and driven by a model of resource extraction which has no care for the damage left in its wake.

In 2024 Wales became the first UK nation whose entire higher education sector haf committed to exclude all fossil fuel extractor companies from their investments as part of the Fossil Free campaign, run by student campaigning charity People & Planet.

When we look at the industry’s track record of leaving communities across Wales to pay the costs of resource extraction, it’s unjustifiable for our higher education institutions to be financing this same industry.

Our universities can no longer feign sustainability credentials based on insufficient climate targets while funding an industry which has known about climate change for over 70 years and has not only failed to act but has actively continued to expand its operations while funding climate denial.

Boycott

To date over half of Welsh Universities have now also committed to boycott fossil fuel industry recruitment as students across the UK continue to campaign for an end to fossil fuel recruitment on their campuses.

For Rose Pugh, campaigner and former Vice-President for Education (2024–25) at the students’ union, Undeb Bangor, the University’s responsibility to the local community is a key part of this campaign, with students hoping to see Bangor join the growing number of Welsh universities to cut recruitment ties with the extractive industries:

“Bangor University has had a really close connection with the local community ever since it was founded in partnership with local people, and as such, the local community pays close attention to what’s happening at the university. People who live in Bangor, both students and members of the local community, want it to be a place they can be proud of, and having Bangor University be an institution they can be proud of is a huge part of this.”

It’s clear that universities hold huge financial and reputational power within our local areas, and their actions speak volumes as to how meaningfully they take their responsibility to the wider community.

Welsh universities are doing significant work in cutting ties with the fossil fuel industry, and it’s clear that this is the way forward if universities are going to take their responsibilities to the wider community seriously.

It’s harder to claim ignorance of the greenwashing tactics of the fossil fuel industry when the impacts of resource extraction are on your doorstep. But the need for higher education institutions to drop their fossil fuel links goes far beyond the Welsh university context.

Recruiters

Universities across the UK continue to act as recruiters and financiers for fossil fuel companies continuing extractivist and colonial operations around the globe, all while claiming social responsibility. It’s time for universities to follow the precedent being set by Welsh uiversities and to recognise that engagement with the fossil fuel industry is not an option.

We need real climate justice which puts both communities and the environment first, and the fossil fuel industry won’t get us there. The drive for profit through extracting both resources and wealth from local communities is a stark reminder that the fossil fuel industry is beyond redemption.

We need a just transition away from fossil fuels that puts our local communities and workers first.