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Boo fossil fuels! That’s the theme of this episode in a nutshell. We talk about some joys heading into Inauguration Day and how we plan to demand climate action from the new administration. Elise tackles Joe Biden’s wavering approach to a fracking ban and tells the story of Pawnee Nation in Oklahoma. Olivia recounts the best (worst) moments of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Climate Deception Dossiers, which expose decades of misinformation campaigns, lobbying, and fraud from major fossil fuel players.
First, we mentioned 350.org, Sunrise Movement, and Riders for Black Lives as cool organizations you might be interested in joining. Getting involved is a great way to feel connected and motivated, especially heading into the new administration.
Story #1: Fracking, Joe Biden, and Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma (Elise)
Sources:
Biden Fact Checking via CNN
How One Firm Drove Influence Campaigns Nationwide for Big Oil, New York Times, November 2020
Native Americans Sue Frackers Over Manmade Earthquakes, National Geographic, July 2017
Now that half of Oklahoma is officially Indian land, oil industry could face new costs and environmental hurdles, Washington Post, July 2020
US Geological Survey, Oklahoma has had a surge of earthquakes since 2009. Are they due to fracking?
Despite Fear In Oklahoma, Biden Likely Won’t Be ‘Banning’ Fracking, KGOU
Earth Justice, Oklahoma and Fracking
Supreme Court says much of eastern Oklahoma remains Indian land, Washington Post, July 2020
New study links Oklahoma earthquakes to fracking, MSNBC
Earth Justice, Ignored and Infuriated, Pawnee Stop Illegal Fracking Plans on Tribal Lands
E&E News, Earthquakes: Shaken more than 580 times, Okla. is top state for quakes in 2014
And now its time to give the people what they want – bonus reading material!!! I didn’t want to get into this in the episode, but this article on an unexpected side effect of increased oil production in North Dakota is absolutely devastating and should definitely be noted. According to the 2014 Washington Post article Dark Side of the Boom, “The arrival of highly paid oil workers living in sprawling ‘man camps’ with limited spending opportunities has led to a crime wave — including murders, aggravated assaults, rapes, human trafficking and robberies — fueled by a huge market for illegal drugs, primarily heroin and methamphetamine.” The “Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation — known as the MHA Nation, or the Three Affiliated Tribes” have been deeply affected by the presence of outside oil workers and all they bring to the area. This is a particularly concerning side effect of fracking and oil production considering the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in this country.
Fracking Gone Wrong – check out this “Fraccidents” map of incidents across the US:
Want to see the undeniable effects of fracking that are somehow still denied? Watch Gasland II, currently on HBO via Hulu or HBO Max. You can also watch the original Gasland on YouTube.
Story #2: The Climate Deception Dossiers (Olivia)
Sources:
The Climate Deception Dossiers: Internal Fossil Fuel Industry Memos Reveal Decades of Corporate Disinformation by Union of Concerned Scientists (Lead authors Kathy Mulvey and Seth Shulman), July 2015
I found out about this document through a Climate Town video on Carbon Offsets – hilarious, educational, and very worth a watch!
Updated Fortune Global 500
Smithsonian Gives Nod to More ‘Dark Money’ Funding for Willie Soon by David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News, April 5 2016
For more information on “dark money” and its impact on economic and environmental inequality, we recommend the book Dark Money by Jane Meyer. You can find it on Bookshop / Libro.fm with the code lfm180623 if you wanna help us get a little affiliate credit at no extra cost to you 🙂
Also if you want to prep for next week’s episode, watch Okja!
Next week we’re talking all about veganism: its history, white supremacy & veganism, gatekeeping/accessibility, and our own journeys to align our values with our diets. We hope it will be an open-minded, educational conversation for us all, so feel free to send us your questions/comments no matter what you eat!
The Dump
Elise is getting kittens! So if you’re feeling a weird mix of stress, joy, exhaustion, and grief this week like us, we’ll have lots of kitten content on our social media.
The newly created World Is Burning bookshop is live! Help us come up with book list titles and bulk up our reading list.
Our World is Burning themed playlist is on Spotify.
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Thanks for listening!
World Is Burning 