‘These are dirty funds’: Indigenous Brazilian leader slams Science Museum for oil sponsorship ahead of climate show

On 9 February 2026, Indigenous Brazilian leader Ninawa Huni Kui, of the Huni Kui (Kaxinawá) people from Acre, condemned London’s Science Museum for accepting sponsorship from BP ahead of its climate-focused exhibition "Water, Pantanal, Fire." He called the support “dirty funds,” arguing oil-company money is incompatible with a show about climate breakdown and the threatened Pantanal wetland, which spans Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. The museum describes the Pantanal as endangered by deforestation, intensive farming, and climate change-driven droughts and wildfires. Climate NGO 350.org’s Savio Carvalho also criticized the partnership, citing BP’s fossil-fuel expansion plans, including deep drilling at the Burmerangue site off Brazil’s coast.

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