Home / Education / Shell Gas Funds School Climate Lessons: Critics Cry Obstruction
Shell Gas Funds School Climate Lessons: Critics Cry Obstruction
7 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Shell's Queensland Gas Company funds a museum program accused of downplaying fossil fuels' climate impact.
- Advocacy group claims educational materials omit the primary cause of rising greenhouse gases.
- The Queensland Museum defended its program, stating it aligns with national curriculum standards.
The Queensland Museum faces accusations of misleading students through a partnership with Shell's Queensland Gas Company, which has sponsored its "Future Makers" education program since 2015. A review by climate advocacy group Comms Declare alleges that the program's materials ignore the primary cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels.
Comms Declare asserts that worksheets on global warming and ocean acidification fail to identify fossil fuel combustion as the main driver. Instead, materials encourage designing carbon capture systems. Belinda Noble of Comms Declare stated that this approach is "climate obstruction dressed up as education," comparing it to the unacceptability of big tobacco sponsoring educational content.
The museum defended the program, highlighting its role in delivering STEM education and inspiring future innovators, stating resources align with federal and state curriculums. However, critics, including climate scientist Lesley Hughes, express concern over a fossil fuel company influencing science education for young people who will face the harshest impacts of climate change.
