May 2026 Union-Wide Newsletter

Dear Members,

With a disruptive heatwave in Europe, deadly militarised oppression and war raging in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran and many other places, and the public mission of universities under attack around the world, our May monthly newsletter aims to inspire global solidarity and collective action among our 2000+ members.    

In this newsletter we share one specific campaign – an open letter expressing deep concerns about Ireland's new industry-focused, profit-seeking strategy for publicly funded research and invite both our Ireland-based and international members to read and sign this letter in collective solidarity against the corporate capture of the public research ecosystem.

The newsletter also contains updates on our latest virtual gathering on May 28th, 'AI, Misogyny & Climate Justice', upcoming events, launches and recent initiatives from our CJUU working groups and branches, news on the first meeting of the CJUU Virtual Book Club, as well as interesting publications and new resources.

In solidarity ~ The Climate Justice Universities Union Coordinating Team

Open Letter to Irish Minister about the future of Ireland's Research Funding

The Climate Justice Universities Union (CJUU) fully endorses an open letter to the Irish Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless expressing deep concern about Ireland’s new industry-focused public research strategy. All members of the CJUU are encouraged to sign this open letter and distribute it among other networks and communities. Members based in Ireland are encouraged to also forward the letter to their TDs and express concern. 

As an international collective mobilising for global solidarity, CJUU invites members outside of Ireland who are also concerned about the corporate capture of public research and democratic processes to support this campaign and also sign the letter.  Corporate capture of public research in Ireland has broad impacts on the future not just for those in Ireland and not just for those working in universities. 

The open letter expresses deep concern about the commercial, profit-seeking priorities of the Irish research funding agency (Taighde Éireann / Research Ireland) in its recently published strategy. The strategy and its strong private-sector bias is an attack on research for the public good and other non-commercialisable research including the arts, humanities and social sciences. The strategy represents “an assault on Ireland’s research ecosystem”, that “weakens academic freedom” and “is a threat to democratic processes”.

The CJUU thanks the members of its Irish Higher Education Policy Working Group for their involvement in drafting the open letter and appreciates the support of all members who have already signed the letter and distributed it among their networks. The CJUU also appreciates the broad coalition of support from other organisations, including trade unions and civic organisations, who are also encouraging people to sign this open letter.

Virtual Monthly Gathering on AI, Misogyny & Climate Justice, May 28th

As part of a series of events on AI, Misogyny and Climate Justice, the Climate Justice Universities Union co-hosted its virtual monthly gathering with the Feminist Communities for Climate Justice,  on May 28th. This interactive session facilitated by Open Space explored how AI, misogyny and climate justice are linked, what the impacts are, and practical collective actions we can all take. Building on this event, there will be a related in-person-only session held at Trinity College Dublin on June 24th, 10.30am - 3.30pm IST. All those able to attend in-person can register here.

Northwest England Branch Launch - Save the Date 9th September

Calling all our Northwest England members! A new regional branch of the CJUU will officially launch on the 9th September 2026. The hybrid event will provide a space for colleagues across the region to meet, network and discuss regional collaboration opportunities.

When: 9 September, 14:30 - 16:00 BST
Where: University of Manchester (hybrid), Humanities Bridgeford Street building, room 1.69/70

Registration and online details to follow. If you would like further information please contact Dr. Heather Alberro at heather.alberro@manchester.ac.uk

North America Branch 6-Week Reading Group

CJUU North America branch member Dr. Mary Finley-Brook is co-hosting a 6-week virtual reading group with Virginia Interfaith Power & Light on Karen Hao’s The Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's Open AI.

This book is a journalistic investigation into one of the largest AI companies, OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT. Hao examines OpenAI's interworkings, the human and environmental costs of AI, and ethical and intellectual property concerns with AI usage and development. Through seizing resources, exploiting labor, and harming our environment, all in their quest to put profits, prestige, and power above all else, "Empire of AI" argues that OpenAI and the AI industry are modern-day empires. 

The 6-week reading group began last Tuesday May 26th, and will join each subsequent Tuesday until June 30th, from 6.30 - 8.00pm Eastern Time. Register here!

Trinity College Dublin Branch - Sustainable Catering Policy

The CJUU branch at Trinity College Dublin have endorsed the Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences proposed Sustainable Catering Policy for a vegan - and vegetarian-first policy to catering for events in the university, along with sustainable practices in terms of food waste, a ban on single-use plastics, with shorter and local supplier systems that engage in ethical agri-ecology practices.

This catering policy is an exemplar that can be replicated across universities in the island of Ireland and internationally. Support is growing from the Trinity Sustainability Office, Healthy Campus, the Vice President for Biodiversity and Climate Action and the Student Body. The CJUU Trinity College Dublin branch continues its advocacy efforts to bring this policy into a reality. Read more here.

The first virtual meetup of the CJUU Book Club is on Tuesday 9th June at 19:00 Dublin/ 14:00 New York (find your local time conversion here), where we will discuss The Mechanic and the Luddite - A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism, by Jathan Sadowski. This short book demystifies how the two systems of technology and capitalism work together and equips readers with practical tools to dismantle them and build a better world, bit by bit. You can also listen to the author's podcast here.

• To join the CJUU Virtual Book Club, please subscribe to it here.
• Log-in details for 9th June: https://tcd-ie.zoom.us/j/95394275283?pwd=7s1yMmKOCUnhEkUbDSaIpeBWq30qOC.1 Meeting ID: 953 9427 5283
  Passcode: 097586

Hybrid Event 22nd June: "Who Owns the Transition?" - All Welcome!

Register for this hybrid event co-hosted by the CJUU: WHO OWNS THE TRANSITION? Energy Democracy and the Power of Community and Cooperative Renewables, in-person at Maynooth University or online, 22nd June from 2pm - 4pm IST.

Publication: Erasing critical scholarship: How attacks on academic freedom undermine democracy. In this recent publication, Susanne Täuber explores how academic freedom is being granted to and withheld from scholars at the discretion of university managers. 

New Podcast: Feeling Climate Change. CJUU Alberta-branch member Dr. Debra Davidson has a new podcast. The series explores the role of emotions in shaping how societies respond to the climate emergency, and reflects on how emotional dynamics influence climate action, behavior, and public life more broadly.

Research: A tale of two discourses: fossil fuel funding in UK and US university policy vs. Public debate. Read this recent publication by Camilla Ceccon, Truzaar Dordi, and Jennie C. Stephens. This research examines the complex interplay between fossil fuel funding, corporate capture, and academic integrity in higher education, uncovering how public discourse frames industry funding as a mechanism of climate obstruction and delay.

News Article: Artifical Intelligence Spells a Climate Disaster. In this recent article for the Irish Times, Jennie Stephens articulates the drastic impacts artificial intelligence and data centres are having in accelerating climate chaos, as well as the growing resistance to AI expansionism from communities and organisations across Ireland, including the ongoing work of the CJUU.