How do we face the scope of global extraction in the name of oil and gas production? Guest Amy Westervelt joins us this week to consider the full story behind these extractive industries and the role they play in shaping global structures from shipping ports, to government policies, to media talking points. Together, Amy and Ayana consider what it might mean for these organizations to be held accountable to the local and global disasters they have wrought in pursuit of profit. 

Amy brings specific insight to ExxonMobil’s rapid development of oil production in Guyana, which she investigated for season eight of her podcast, Drilled. It is estimated that by 2026 Exxon will produce 1 million barrels of oil a day – a staggering statistic considering the project began in 2019. Discussing this specific case and extraction across the world, Amy details the global complications and power dynamics at play, and considers the obscene level of influence huge corporations have in perpetuating global injustice. 

Understanding the contours of power as it works now, this conversation also invites dreams of how we may change these systems. A world in which we hold corporations accountable and curb energy consumption in just and accessible ways is possible. How might we shift the narrative to bring visions into action? 

Amy Westervelt is an award-winning investigative climate journalist. She writes regularly for The Guardian and The Intercept. Westervelt also runs the independent podcast production company and network Critical Frequency, where she reports and hosts Drilled, a true-crime podcast about climate change, and runs the company’s production team on other shows, like the Peabody-nominated This Land.

♫ The music featured in this episode is “Intro” by Jon Yonts, "Night Glide” by Hana Shin, and “Half Joking” by Charles Rumback and Ryley Walker.

Episode References

DRILLED Podcast

‘Private Empire,’ by Steve Coll’s about Exxon Mobil - The New York Times

Exxon’s oil drilling gamble off Guyana coast ‘poses major environmental risk’ – Environment | The Guardian

S8 Discussion Guide: Debunking the "Moral Case" for Fossil Fuels    

Massive Media Cuts = Less Climate Coverage by Amy Westervelt  

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