ORCA

Organisation of Radical Cambridge Activists for Environmental Liberation

Tag: sustainability

  • Press Release: Activists stage May Day weapons protest at University of Cambridge

    Press Release: Activists stage May Day weapons protest at University of Cambridge

    This afternoon, ORCA and Cambridge for Palestine activists have staged a protest against the University of Cambridge’s ties to weapons companies Rolls Royce, BAE Systems and Boeing. At lunchtime, they dropped a large banner saying “End Arms Complicity” over the balcony of the busy West Hub building, at the centre of the university’s sciences campus. Chanting “Free Palestine”, activists threw paper aeroplanes bearing information on arms complicity from a balcony into the foyer. 

    The main target of the protest was the university’s Aviation Impact Accelerator, an initiative between the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, the Whittle Lab and industry partners. Connected companies include Rolls Royce and Boeing as well as private jet company 4Air. Campaigners have called the project “greenwash”, alluding to the conflict between its environmental framing and the records of contributing partners. 

    One activist said: “The AIA is yet another empty greenwash project from the University of Cambridge. What’s worse is they’re actively helping arms companies to launder their reputation while they profit from war and genocide. It’s disgusting to talk about making these weapons more efficient.”

    Campaigners also identified the Institute for Manufacturing’s “Cambridge Service Alliance” as a site of arms complicity, pointing to their ongoing partnership with weapons manufacturer BAE Systems. The Service Alliance, founded in 2010, forms part of the University’s industrial engagement strategy. 

    Rolls Royce, Boeing and BAE Systems are among the world’s largest manufacturers of weapons. All three are noted for their complicity in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians and their ongoing attacks on Lebanon. Among others, the triad also supply arms to US, Saudi, UK and UAE regimes. 

    Another activist said: “May Day is a day for international solidarity. We will not stay silent while weapons companies conduct research and reputation-laundering in our city. We reject the industries and academics who profit from death.”

    This collaborative action is part of ORCA’s broader campaign against greenwashing and environmental violence. The campaign focuses on Aviation Impact Accelerator lead Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Cambridge for Palestine launched on May 5th 2023 and have since campaigned against the University’s complicity in ongoing genocide in Palestine. 

    Read more:

  • May 17: Quick Billionaires out!

    May 17: Quick Billionaires out!

    From 17th-21st of May, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), in association with the University of Cambridge, is delivering its Multigenerational Leadership Programme. This programme, which is on its third year, hopes to “[Equip] the world’s most influential families to shape the 21st Century” — essentially providing ultra-wealthy dynasties with with the means to greenwash their inherited wealth, and tidy their public image in an environment increasingly critical of wealth hoarding and the shady dealings of the one-percent. And all this for the tidy sum of just £13,695 per person!

    The course itself is advised by Iraj Ispahani of the Ispahani dynasty, and Philip Marcovici — a wealth management lawyer with a specialism in inherited wealth and whose previous clients include the Rothschilds — the sole bank of the British Royal Family.

    ORCA denounces the bald-faced lie that “influential families” are necessary for shaping the future, that so much hoarded wealth in the hands of so few will ever be anything more than bloody money. The Multigenerational Leadership Programme serves only to allow billionaires to network, pat themselves on the back, and negotiate around a climate collapse that they — in their infinite excesses, decadence, and extractive business practices — are helping to orchestrate, and which they will never truly feel the brunt of. A city as divided as Cambridge, where those with the most money enjoy a 12 year life-expectancy increase over the very poorest, deserves better than a red carpet being laid out for those who are killing us.

    Join us on May 17th at 2pm outside Great St Mary’s to protest CISL and the Multigenerational Leadership Programme, and KICK THE BILLIONAIRES OUT.

    Let’s show them that the future is not shaped by them, it is shaped by us.

  • Cambridge Sustainability and Sudan

    Cambridge Sustainability and Sudan

    The United Arab Emirates are the main backers of the Rapid Support Forces.

    The counter-revolutionary war in Sudan opposes two factions: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Both of those have been long involved in the violence in Sudan, from the genocide in Darfur in 2003 to the crackdown on the Sudanese revolution in 2019.

    Their war is now inflicting a devastating toll on the population: more than 150.000 deaths, and more than 12 millions displaced. The recent RSF exactions in El Fasher have been extremely brutal, with more than 2000 civilians dead in 48 hours.

    For more info, follow sudan.updates on Instagram.

    CISL and the UAE: a greenwashing partnership

    picture of Ibrahim Al-Zu'bi taken from the ADNOC website.

    Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi

    He is head of sustainability at ADNOC and senior associate at CISL. He is also working for the UAE government.1

    The Abu-Dhabi National Oil Corporation (ADNOC) is the biggest oil company in the UAE and the 12th biggest in the world, owned by the UAE government. You might know its CEO as the host of COP28.2

    ADNOC's logo

    CISL recently told us they were not working with oil companies – this seems to have been untrue.

    CISL sells executive education to emirati groups.

    They also organise events in Dubai, and have strong links with financial institutions there.3 Their ambassador for the Middle East works for the World Trade Center in Dubai4.

    CISL openly boast about their interventions for big real estate & tourism industry groups based in Dubai.5 Real estate and tourism is a huge part in the UAE strategy of diversification from oil&gas. These industries are part of its soft power: what helps it finance wars without facing repercussions.

    What should change?

    CISL must drop Ibrahim Al’Zubi and investigate their other associates for connections with the fossil fuel industry and genocide financing.

    CISL must cut all ties to genocidal states. It is not ethical to sustain the economies of Israel and the UAE as they profit from atrocities.

    We continue to stand against CISL’s model of extractive, colonial “sustainability”. We know it is possible for academic institutions to lend their power to grassroots justice movements. Put people over profits, and imagine a world beyond the extractivist capitalism system.

    See our social media posts about it:

    Sources

    1.  Source: “Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi”. Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). University of Cambridge. Retrieved 2025-11-03. ↩︎
    2. Source: “Abu Dhabi National Oil Company”. Wikipedia. ↩︎
    3. Source: “Middle East: Executive Education”. Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). University of Cambridge. Retrieved 2025-11-22. ↩︎
    4. Source: “Shyrose Osman”. Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). University of Cambridge. Retrieved 2025-11-22. ↩︎
    5. Source:  “GREEN FINANCE FRAMEWORK” (PDF). Majid Al Futtaim. Majid Al Futtaim. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2025-11-03. ↩︎

  • CISL and Trump are in love … with mining

    CISL and Trump are in love … with mining

    On October 6th, 2025, Trump approved construction of the infamous Ambler road in Alaska. This road project links to the highway network the Ambler mining district, allowing massive mining operations.

    This project, opposed by a local group called Protect the Kobuk, would massively undermine the indigenous practices. According to the US Administration own reports, this would also threaten fish and caribou habitats, on which the indigenous rely to survive. This would also impact air and water quality, and risk poisoning aquifers.

    The Ambler District would be exploited by a consortium made of Trilogy Metals and South32. Trilogy Metals is mainly exploiting mines in Alaska. South32 is a mining company head-quartered in Perth, Australia. It has massive operations in Australia, South Africa, Columbia and Chile. South32 is a member of CISL’s Corporate Leaders Group, a network of executives facilitated by CISL.

    Environmental assessment

    The project was rejected by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in June of 2024.

    Their report on the decision lists the impact of the road on the 11 major and hundreds of minor rivers the road would cross all of which are important for the feeding, breeding, overwintering, and spawning of more than 20 species of fish including species critical to the subsistence of the local communities living on the land the road will cross.

    It will also cross the migratory and ranging paths of a large caribou herd in the region which acts as a major food source for over 40 communities and is set to be heavily disrupted by the developments

    It also cuts through several areas used by locals to gather fruit, vegetation, and to hunt moose and fowl. The development will affect the ability of the local people to harvest several key food sources.

    The construction of the road, and runoff from both the vehicles traversing it and the new mines it allows to be created, are liable to result in water pollution downstream of the crossed rivers, as well as in the surrounding wetlands affecting local water supplies and increasing the concentrations of heavy metals like lead.

    Unfortunately, Trump revoked this assessment in 2025.

    Involvement of the US government

    As detailed above, under the Biden administration, the project was closed because the environmental assessments had failed.

    But Trump revived it, and revoked the previous environmental assessments. The White House and the US department of war invested significantly in Trilogy Metals (10 and 5% respectively), the former even announced a partnership with Trilogy Metals.

    The US department of war announced a partnership with Ambler Metals for strategic minerals. The mines in Ambler District will prop up the US military industrial complex, which is killing people all around the world, including participating in the genocide in Gaza.

    South32 and CISL

    Where’s CISL in all this?

    CISL loves industry, especially if they make billions and if they can sell companies some good greenwashing. For South32, it means participating in the industry forum Corporate Leaders Groups (CLG), that CISL facilitates.

    Those CLGs are full of mining companies. Mining is great for greenwashing: you can extract products from indigenous people’s land and still claim that it’s for the energy transition. CISL can even back up your claims by saying that getting out of fossil fuels will need those minerals.

    See also and sources

    Our social media post about this (link to be put).

    Protect the Kobuk is an collective fighting against this project.

    The wikipedia article about Ambler Road is instructive.

    The Ambler Metals website has 2 press-releases about the US government implication in their operations, here and here.

    The US administration internal environmental assessment [direct link, archived].

    The Corporate Leaders Group Africa lists South 32 as one of their members [direct link, archived].