Inflated outrage

Science Museum NEMO organised the Weekend van de Wetenschap (science weekend) on 4 and 5 October. In the words of the commissioning ministry, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science  the aim of this weekend is ‘introducing the youngest group in our society – children – to the wondrous world of science’. I think it’s a fantastic initiative!

I had already seen a lot of  enthusiastic content about the Weekend van de Wetenschap when I read the following headline The NEMO science museum helps oil giant greenwash at children’s festival (in Dutch) on 3 October. I almost lost hope, which is already a scarese resource these days. I wondered whether even NEMO is not a positive force anymore in this society.

Luckily, it was not that bad and it seems that even Follow the Money (a journalistic platform) uses clickbait (Shame, shame).

The article states that ExxonMobil is part of the Weekend van de Wetenschap and that the company is guilty of using this event for greenwashing. In itself, that statement is right, although you might wonder if there is anything left to greenwash at a company like ExxonMobil. Clearly, ExxonMobil is using this event for publicity, however given the age of the target group, does this really matter? We have a huge shortage of technical talent in the Netherlands. We are going to need every science and technology-inspired child that we can get.

We are going to need every science and technology-inspired child that we can get

However bad the oil giants in the Botlek are, they  did play a role in my choice to study in Delft. Every year, on the way to France, I used to look at the view from the road past the Van Brienenoordbrug bridge. I saw the giant distillation columns and flares rise up in the distance like a mysterious city which I would have loved to wonder into. Large refineries have something magical and I hope that, even when the fossil fuel industry disappears, this infrastructure can be integrated in a green environment as relics of a dirty but ingenious past. Once at TU Delft, I learned – even at molecular science and technology – about context and the reservations of the petrochemical industry.

Follow the Money should not shoot its arrows (spend its energy), on this instance of greenwashing, especially as it negatively affects the image of NEMO. In this case, igniting the flare of potential future engineers is far more important than excluding ExxonMobil. It is precisely that future talent that will need to shape the transition to clean energy. Let’s put our trust in NEMO when they say that they ‘Check activities on educational value, facts and transparency’, or discuss exactly that with them.

We should be aware of inflated outrage. ExxonMobil undoubtedly does enough horrible things that Follow the Money could better spend its time on. The world is on fire so let’s pick our battles.

Finally, in relation to my column about academic freedom, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s reaction brings hope. ‘The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is responsible for research and academia in the widest sense … A suitable programme for the Weekend van de Wetenschap is the responsibility of the Weekend van de Wetenschap itself.’ And this gave me the peace of mind to start the weekend (of science).