Fossil-Fuelled Universities

The local presence of the fossil fuel industry is prominent: the industry has not only developed close affiliations with the Board of Trustees in various universities but has also established itself as a supporter of academia through generous research fundings, donations and scholarships. Our local universities have inadvertently been caught in the greenwashing campaigns of fossil fuel companies, co opted as a platform to market their comparatively meagre efforts in green technologies to hide their destructive activities and rebrand their image. Universities further support the oil and gas industry by developing a consistent talent pipeline to these companies through frequent recruitment events. It is impossible to ignore the unethical nature of these associations as the climate crisis becomes more severe with each passing year.

Fossil-Fuelled Universities Campaign

A call to Singaporean universities to cut ties with this heavy-polluting industry, and lead the way in our society by reinvesting based on the principles of a just transition towards a low-carbon economy.

Through this report, Fossil-Fuelled Universities, we have sought to provide an overview of the partnerships and affiliations that exist between our universities and the fossil fuel industry. Uncritical institutional support enables the industry to continue operating in a manner that is fundamentally unsustainable. As our universities are forward-looking, value-driven, and on the cutting edge of scientific and social research, we believe that this cannot continue. This report aims to move universities to critically reassess their links with the fuel industry. We hope that universities will transition away from associations with this industry, and instead lead the just transition towards a low-carbon economy.

Eco-Poetry Night

Students for a Fossil-Free Future (S4F) is proud to present our poetry night event featuring ECO-POETRY by local Singaporean poets. Eco-Poetry concerns poetry surrounding themes of ecologies, our environments, and our human systems in relation to them. Featuring Marc Nair, Stephanie Dogfoot Chan, Venezia Lim, Cheyenne Phillips, Ann Ang, Ow Yeong Wai Kit and Daryl Qilin Yam, our Eco-Poetry Night aims to inspire and move hearts for a climate-conscious world.

Event Details

Date: Sunday, 27 February, 2022
Time: 8 PM (SGT)
Venue: Zoom (link provided after sign-up)
Sign-up: tinyurl.com/s4fecopoetry

Ann Ang

Ann Ang (Twitter) is best known as the author of Bang My Car (2012), a Singlish-English collection of short stories. She has just published her first collection of poetry, Burning Walls for Paper Spirits (2021). Ann is the coordinating editor of PR&TA (Journal of Practice, Research & Tangential Activities) and has also co-edited two literary anthologies Poetry Moves (2020) and Food Republic (2020).

Cheyenne Phillips

Cheyenne Alexandria Phillips is a writer, performer, educator from Singapore. She is an Associate Artist with Checkpoint Theatre and has writing and performance credits that include an eight-part podcast Vulnerable (2021), and A Grand Design – an audio experience (2020). Cheyenne’s writings can be found in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Contour: A Lyrical Cartography of Singapore (2019) and Who are you my country? (2018). She can be found on Instagram at @thepoeticscientist.

Daryl Qilin Yam

Daryl Qilin Yam (Instagram) is a writer, editor and arts organiser from Singapore. He is the author of the novella Shantih Shantih Shantih (2021, Math Paper Press), and the novel Lovelier, Lonelier (2021, Epigram Books), a finalist of the 2021 Epigram Books Fiction Prize.

Marc Nair

Marc Nair (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Website) is a poet and photographer from Singapore. Marc Nair has published six solo collections of poetry and another four books in collaboration with visual artists, photographers and graphic artists. His latest collection of poetry is Sightlines (2019, Math Paper Press) with photographer Tsen-Waye Tay. Marc will be launching his full-length spoken word album, Sounds Like A Buzz, in April 2022.

Ow Yeong Wai Kit

Ow Yeong Wai Kit (Instagram, Facebook, Website) is an educator and editor of four poetry anthologies, including From Walden to Woodlands: An Anthology of Nature Poems, published by Ethos Books. He holds an MA in English from University College London, and has served as a judge of the National Poetry Competition organised by Poetry Festival Singapore.

Stephanie Dogfoot Chan

Stephanie Dogfoot (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Website) is a Singaporean writer, performer and producer. Their first poetry collection, Roadkill for Beginners (Math Paper Press, 2019) explores growing up, found family and good times in strange places. The founder of a poetry night called Spoke & Bird, they are inspired by mud and Southeast Asian wildlife.

Venezia May

Venezia (Instagram,  Website) loves all things water related: beaches, wakeboarding and craft beers (90% water!). When she's not teaching kids how to conserve water, she's exploring the different ways we interact with our environment through her words. She has been published in two anthologies in London, won the 2018 and 2019 Causeway Exchange Poetry Slam, and emerged runner-up at the Asia Pacific Poetry Slam. She co-produced Nervous Laughter, a climate change theatre and spoken word show which delved into our climate-related anxieties. She also wrote a rap about toilets - she'll perform it if you offer her a beer.

The Fossil Free Report Card

Grading Our Universities: How Have They Done?
In 2022, Students for a Fossil Free Future (S4F) released a report outlining the links between Singapore universities and fossil fuel companies. S4F highlighted why those links impede the energy transition and our recommendations regarding them.In 2023, let's see what steps they have taken, and how they currently score on being fossil free.

Summer Book Club: Back to Basics

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Feeling powerless by the enormity of the climate crisis? Unsure about how to contribute to climate action or find like-minded communities? Or perhaps you're simply eager to deepen your understanding of environmental and social justice issues?
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We invite you to immerse yourself in a stimulating day of discourse on climate change, activism, and civic engagement through insightful books and academic articles. Join us this summer for our S4F Summer Book Club “Back to Basics : ” series every fortnight starting on the 27th of May.

This book club is for people who want to learn more about environmental justice through a local and regional context and how to figure out your role in the environmental movement. We will be delving into difficult and important conversations about environmentalism and social change—if you are a person who enjoys sitting with complexities and tensions, this space is for you!  

Join our telegram channel to get updates on upcoming book club sessions

Long Term Strategy 2025

The Long Term Strategy 2025 document serves to provide an overview andrationale of the direction and plans for the structure and organisation of S4F. Thesenew directions and plans have been taken based on meetings, discussions, andfeedback from past and present members of S4F and its chapters.

Impact Report 2024

Since 2017, Students for a Fossil Free (S4F) movement has changed in shapeand form significantly. We started off as individual chapters across universities in Singapore, and joined forced to form a nationwide movement and campaign in 2022. S4F has since built on that momentum to build a sustainable community of concerned students.

At each step of our path, it has always been important to pause and reflect on our work, to critically work towards our goal of working towards a more just and livable future for all.