March 25, 2015
The Natural History Museum, a project of Voqal Fund grantee Not An Alternative, recently released an open letter signed by dozens of the world’s top scientists, including NASA’s former head climatologist James Hansen, calling on science museums to cut all ties to the fossil fuel industry.
The letter was sent to 334 natural history museums and science centers across the country, as well as released to the media. It calls on museums to drop oil moguls from their boards, cancel fossil fuel industry sponsorships and divest financial holdings in the fossil fuel industry.
The letter has received extensive coverage in major news publications including The NY Times, The Guardian and Washington Post.
Coinciding with the release of the letter, The Natural History Museum joined 15 national NGOs, including Sierra Club and Greenpeace, in launching a petition calling on the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History to remove David Koch from their boards.