Two trustees of the Science Museum Group (SMG) submitted their resignations from the Board, following a decision to make Adani Green Energy a title sponsor for its upcoming landmark gallery.

The new gallery will showcase the concepts and advancements that will enable the world to undergo an energy transition in order to curb climate change.

The announcement to make Adani a title sponsor was made earlier this month, during the Global Investment Summit hosted at the museum in the presence of UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

SMG is a non-departmental public body that receives support from the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport but operates independently.

“I do not support the recent agreement with Adani and I think the museum needs to proactively engage with the reasonable concerns opposing their stance on fossil fuel sponsorship so it can retain its vital position as a leader in the national conversation on the climate crisis,” said Dr. Hannah Fry said in a statement.

Dr Fry is an associate professor in the Mathematics of Cities at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London. Her key study area are patterns in human behaviour. Another trustee, who resigned from the SMG board is Dr. Jo Foster. Dr. Foster is also the Director of the Institute for Research in Schools, a UK-based charity that supports science research among school students.

Resignations of both the trustees were accepted on Saturday. “I have reluctantly accepted the resignation of Jo Foster and Hannah Fry from the Science Museum Group’s Board of Trustees”, said Dame Mary Archer, chair of the Science Museum Group Board of Trustees. Archer also defended Adani’s sponsorship of the upcoming gallery and pointed out that not only governments, but even big energy companies have a responsibility.

“Given the enormous expertise and wealth tied up in those energy companies, they need to play a much bigger role in urgent change to prevent a climate catastrophe. This potential explains the position taken by the Science Museum Group over the past decade that it would be counter-productive to rule out engaging with the entire sector,” Archer explained in a note.

Earlier this month, speaking at the Science Museum, Gautam Adani, Chairman of Adani Group, said that over the next decade, the Adani portfolio companies in the energy and utility business would invest over $20 billion in renewable energy generation and the overall organic and inorganic investments across the entire green energy value chain will range between $50 billion and $70 billion.

“We are putting money where our mouth is,” he said at the Global Investment.

The SMG board said that they fully respected the decision of the trustees to step down, “which reflects views they expressed during recent Board discussions on accepting sponsorship from Adani Green Energy” but further added “we must never underestimate the challenge. The Science Museum Group’s view based on the science is that, while it is grave and pressing, it is not yet insurmountable.”

The Adani Green Energy Gallery will explore the latest climate science and innovations needed to cut global dependence on fossil fuels and will replace the existing ‘Atmosphere’ gallery.