Drilled
Pushkin Industries
Drilled is a true-crime climate change podcast exposing how corporate corruption and political operatives built decades of climate denial and delay. Hosted and reported by award-winning investigative climate journalists and led by Amy Westervelt, each season unravels new evidence of deception, disinformation, and the power structures keeping real climate solutions out of reach.
In September 2025, a group of Brazilian ministers trekked all the way to chilly North Dakota to see a presentation on a new type of clean energy project, one that promised to help them deliver Brazilian President Lula’s dream of turning Brazil into “the Saudi Arabia of sustainable aviation fuels.” It was the latest in a string of projects from Midwest Republican kingmaker and corn ethanol magnate Bruce Rastetter, whose investments in Brazil might just transform him into a global carbon czar, even as his Summit pipeline carbon project faces fierce opposition from Iowa to North Dakota. The problem? It all requires loads of land and none of it does a thing about climate change.
In September 2025, a group of Brazilian ministers trekked all the way to chilly North Dakota to see a presentation on a new type of clean energy project, one that promised to help them deliver Brazilian President Lula’s dream of turning Brazil into “the Saudi Arabia of sustainable aviation fuels.” It was the latest in a string of projects from Midwest Republican kingmaker and corn ethanol magnate Bruce Rastetter, whose investments in Brazil might just transform him into a global carbon czar, even as his Summit pipeline carbon project faces fierce opposition from Iowa to North Dakota. The problem? It all requires loads of land and none of it does a thing about climate change.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 21, 2023 • 35min
The Contract: Inside ExxonMobil's Guyana Oil Deal
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 BombSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 14, 2023 • 28min
The Bloom: Finding Oil in Guyana
Kiana Wilburg, a reporter for Kaieteur News, delves into the complexities of Guyana's oil boom and its impact on the nation. She shares her journey from new reporter to industry expert following ExxonMobil's discovery off the coast. The discussion highlights the disparity between promises of economic prosperity and the harsh realities of environmental degradation. Wilburg emphasizes the challenges faced by journalists against corporate power and urges for transparency in oil deals while exploring the political and social transformations triggered by newfound wealth.
Feb 28, 2023 • 2min
New Season Coming Soon: Light, Sweet Crude
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 10, 2023 • 49min
Guyana: Life Inside a Ticking Carbon Bomb
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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 20, 2022 • 18min
Rep. Ro Khanna: Inside the House Climate Disinformation Investigation
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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 6, 2022 • 41min
Climate RICO Lawsuit & James Hansen Sues EPA: Two Groundbreaking Cases
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 22, 2022 • 31min
Loss and Damage at COP 27
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 8, 2022 • 31min
Why Is One of Big Oil's Top Greenwashing PR Firms Handling Media for COP 27?
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 26, 2022 • 37min
COP 27: How to Neutralize Climate Disinformation
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 18, 2022 • 52min
Universities Are Saying No to Big Oil Money
Since Standard Oil of New Jersey (now ExxonMobil) began funding universities in the late 1940s, oil companies have invested heavily in higher education, not just to fund engineering programs climate science, but crucially to fund the public policy centers and economics programs that shape policy solutions. Fossil Free Research, a new group formed by many of the same students who pushed their campuses to divest from fossil fuels, is demanding that the world's top universities break their addiction to fossil fuel money. In late September they logged their first big win: Princeton University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
