As one of the country’s most prominent educational and research institutions, and one which prides itself on being “in the service of humanity,” Princeton has no excuse for its entanglement with the fossil fuel industry, its incomplete climate action plan, and its inadequate relationships to the surrounding communities that sustain it. Furthermore, the Trump administration’s recent attacks on Princeton’s climate research and financial stability are unacceptable. In this moment, Princeton must not give in; rather, it must become a leader on climate research, climate learning, and climate justice.

Princeton researchers work on a variety of climate research projects. The Carbon Mitigation Initiative has been funded by a $3 million annual contract from fossil fuel giant BP since 2001. That contract was up for renewal in May 2025; it is unclear whether it has been renewed.

The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory is a world-renowned climate research laboratory that is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Princeton University scientists. This year, NOAA cut $4 million in funding for climate modeling research at the GFDL, and announced plans to close the laboratory entirely.

In light of these potential cuts to two of Princeton’s flagship climate research institutes, we call on the University to protect and invest in climate research and researchers to ensure the continuation of world-class, lifesaving research despite political headwinds. This includes ending dependence on fossil fuel companies as a source of research funding and shifting toward partners interested more in the success of a research project than the contents of its results. 

As it does so, it should ensure that it prioritizes environmental justice as a research discipline to increase engagement with the Princeton and New Jersey communities most impacted by environmental injustice.

Princeton’s endowment still has $700 million invested in privately-held fossil fuel companies, and the University owns a fossil fuel company called Petrotiger. These holdings are at odds with Princeton’s sustainability goals. Princeton’s endowment must not be invested in companies whose practices have been causing climate change to develop and worsen for two centuries. We call on Princeton to complete its divestment from fossil fuels and reinvest in sustainable assets.

Princeton should also not be ashamed of its investments and research relationships; we therefore also call on the University to publish an annual fossil fuel accountability report detailing ties to the fossil fuel industry, through both investments and research partnerships.

Princeton plans to reach zero campus emissions by 2046 through numerous laudable local sustainability goals. However, the final ~15% of emissions reductions that will be necessary to get Princeton to net zero are currently attributed to “TBD” solutions. We call on Princeton to revise its 2046 sustainability plan to reflect the urgent need to decarbonize as soon as possible by replacing “TBD” with actual solutions.

While all of Princeton’s peers in the Ivy League, as well as Stanford, MIT, Duke, UChicago, Northwestern, and Johns Hopkins, offer a major in environmental science or environmental studies, Princeton offers neither. To encourage its students to pursue careers in the environment, Princeton should introduce an interdisciplinary environmental studies major to complement, rather than compete with, its existing programs in Geosciences, EEB, and CEE.

Therefore, we demand that President Eisgruber and the Board of Trustees take the following steps to ensure that Princeton can model an institution that students can be proud to attend:

Our demands

• Preserve and expand climate research in GFDL, CMI, and more by establishing a Climate Research Fund
• Shift toward international, NGO, and good private sector partnerships rather than fossil-fueled research
• Commit to environmental justice as a research discipline
• Divest completely from fossil fuels and cut ties with Petrotiger, Princeton’s fossil fuel company
• Publish a fossil fuel accountability report detailing Princeton’s continuing relationships with fossil fuel companies
• Revise the 2046 sustainability plan to eliminate reliance on ambiguous “innovative solutions” to get Princeton to net zero
• Add an environmental studies major to create a pathway to student careers in green industry, environmental work, and climate science