Drilled

Latest Episodes:

Unlimited Liability: The Guyanese Lawyer Taking on ExxonMobil Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

One person in Guyana understands both the inner workings of Big Oil and the intracacies of Guyanese governmental law better than almost anyone. Melinda Janki was raised in Guyana, but went to Oxford University and then worked as in-house counsel for oil giant BP before making her way back to Guyana. She returned home with a mission to help strengthen the country's environmental laws. In 2018, she began filing suits against the government to block offshore drilling. Her latest suit demands ExxonMobil be held liable for any environmental damages caused to Guyana in the case of an offshore catastrophe.
Read more in Antonia Juhaz's Wired story on Guyana.

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The Contract: Inside ExxonMobil's Guyana Oil Deal Mar 21, 2023

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After a year of pressure from local press and civil groups, the Guyanese government finally released its oil contract with ExxonMobil to the public. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) calls it an unfair deal for Guyana. Some local leaders implore the government to renegotiate the contract, but others say that's a fool's errand and fighting the contract should be done in court.
Additional resources:
The Quest to Defuse Guyana’s Carbon Bomb

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The Bloom: Finding Oil in Guyana Mar 14, 2023

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Five years ago, Kiana Wilburg was a new reporter when ExxonMobil executives and Guyanese government officials announced they had found oil 40 miles offshore. Wilburg and her newsroom had to rapdly learn about the oil industry and this suddenly influential company that was now in their country. They were left with one question: what kind of a deal had their country signed onto?

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New Season Coming Soon: Light, Sweet Crude Feb 28, 2023

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On paper, the small South American country of Guyana is the fastest-growing economy in the world, thanks to its oil boom. The country started shipping barrels of oil in 2019. Hotels are popping up all over its capital city. Historic homes are being turned into condos for visiting oil execs. But average citizens say they aren’t benefiting from the boom like they thought they would. And one lawyer is trying everything she can to stop her homeland from being changed from a carbon sink into a carbon bomb. In this special crossover season of Drilled and Damages, a look at 21st century oil colonialism, amid the climate crisis.

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Guyana: Life Inside a Ticking Carbon Bomb Jan 10, 2023

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In this special sneak preview of our next season, we hear from Melinda Janki, a lawyer who's fighting to keep her home country of Guyana from becoming one of the world's largest carbon bombs.

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Rep. Ro Khanna: Inside the House Climate Disinformation Investigation Dec 20, 2022

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The House Oversight Committee wrapped its investigation into climate disinformation, publishing a tranche of revealing internal documents on how the world's largest oil companies have misled the public about their committements to energy transition. Representative Ro Khanna, who helped spearhead the investigation, joins us to discuss.
Additional resources:
The Intercept

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Climate RICO Lawsuit & James Hansen Sues EPA: Two Groundbreaking Cases Dec 06, 2022

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November brought two seismic developments in climiate ligation: the first-ever climate RICO was filed on behalf of 16 Puerto Rican municipalities, plus a cohort of scientists and researches, including NASA scientist James Hansen, sued the EPA to compel them to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

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Loss and Damage at COP 27 Nov 22, 2022

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Loss and damage financing was a big focus at COP 27, and ultimately one of the few things global negotiators could agree on. Wealthy nations finally acknowledged their responsibility to compensate for climate damages. But media coverage of loss and damage has left out crucial context, including how flawed the fossil fuel industry's "fossil fuels = development" myth is.

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Why Is One of Big Oil's Top Greenwashing PR Firms Handling Media for COP 27? Nov 08, 2022

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COP 27 is underway in Egypt and the stakes have never been higher. So why is longtime fossil fuel industry greenwasher Hill + Knowlton handing media for the conference?
We look back on the firm's longstanding history crafting science denial and delay strategies for tobacco and fossil fuel companies.

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COP 27: How to Neutralize Climate Disinformation Oct 26, 2022

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In just over a week, heads of state and negotiaters will meet at COP 27, the annual UN Climate Conference, to discuss a path forward on climate action. Historically, these events bring about a wave of climate disinformation. A new report walks journalists and communicators through how they can counter disinformation without amplifying it.

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