Lawless Planet

On New Year’s Eve 2024, an Uber driver named Jonathan Rinderknecht allegedly started a fire in the Pacific Palisades. The fire was quickly contained, but it lingered on underground as a “zombie fire.” Days later, fueled by Santa Ana Winds, it exploded into the Palisades Fire, the most destructive conflagration in Los Angeles history. A second fire, ignited just hours later, destroyed much of neighboring Altadena. In the aftermath, angry residents wanted accountability – but who is to blame for a fire when the earth is now a tinderbox? Featured in this episode: Brad Weisshaupt, LA County Fire Department Traci Park, LA City Council India Bradley Nic Arnzen, Altadena Town Council Daniel Swain, University of California Sources: The Los Angeles Times KTLA 5 News See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chemical manufacturers like DuPont and 3M have invented nearly 15,000 synthetic compounds called PFAS, better known as “forever chemicals” because of how slowly they break down. They’re in the soil, our food, even our bodies. When the towns of Parkersburg, West Virginia and Hoosick Falls, New York found PFAS in their water supply, they fought to hold the chemical companies accountable – and exposed just how long DuPont scientists had known about the risks. Featured in this episode: Mariah Blake Sources: This episode relied heavily on the new book, They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals, by Mariah Blake https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554198/they-poisoned-the-world-by-mariah-blake/   And Ms. Blake’s 2015 article in the HuffPost Highline, “Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia: Home to one of the most brazen, deadly corporate gambits in U.S. history” https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/welcome-to-beautiful-parkersburg/  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2017, Hurricane Maria, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, battered the island of Puerto Rico. In the aftermath, big banks, crypto bros and other ‘disaster capitalists’ swooped in to take advantage of the crisis. No one realized the full scope of death and destruction until a scrappy team of journalists started to investigate. They exposed a corrupt system that continues to threaten Puerto Rico’s power grid, its people and the environment. Featured in this episode: Carla Minet Sources: The investigative journalism of Carla Minet and her team at the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo https://periodismoinvestigativo.com/  Naomi Klein’s book The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists  and her Intercept article “There’s Nothing Natural About Puerto Rico’s Disaster” https://theintercept.com/2018/09/21/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-disaster-capitalism/  Yalixa Rivera and Jonathan Levin’s Bloomberg article “Can Crypto, Cannabis, and Nicolas Cage Boost Puerto Rico’s Economy?” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-10/can-crypto-cannabis-and-nicolas-cage-boost-puerto-rico-s-economy  David Yaffe-Bellany and Laura N. Pérez Sánchez’s New York Times article “The Unraveling of a Crypto Dream” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/technology/brock-pierce-crypto-puerto-rico.html  Fernando Tormos-Aponte’s In These Times “How an Investigative Journalism Center Helped Oust Puerto Rican Gov. Rosselló” https://inthesetimes.com/article/investigative-journalism-rossello-puerto-rico-protests See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2011, the people of Ecuador shocked the world by winning a multibillion judgment against Chevron for failing to clean up its oil operations in the Amazon. But back in the U.S., Chevron responded by suing their most prominent legal adversary, Steven Donziger. And as the oil giant challenged the Ecuadorian verdict, Donziger found himself trapped in his own Kafkaesque legal nightmare, one that threatened to overshadow the plight of the people he was trying to help. Featured in this episode: Steven Donziger Pablo Fajardo Sources: William Langewiesche’s Vanity Fair profile “Jungle Law” https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2007/5/jungle-law Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article “Reversal of Fortune” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/09/reversal-of-fortune-patrick-radden-keefe Joe Berlinger’s documentary “Crude” Paul M. Barrett’s book Law of the Jungle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After Texaco (now Chevron) discovered oil in Ecuador, they left behind an ecological and public health disaster so severe that experts have dubbed it the "Amazon Chernobyl.” The local population then sued the company sparking an epic courtroom drama spanning multiple decades and costing billions of dollars. Leading that fight are two outspoken attorneys: an American outsider not afraid to make enemies, and an Ecuadorian lawyer who risked his life to stand up for his people. Featured in this episode: Pablo Fajardo Steven Donziger Sources: William Langewiesche’s Vanity Fair profile “Jungle Law” https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2007/5/jungle-law  Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article “Reversal of Fortune” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/09/reversal-of-fortune-patrick-radden-keefe  Joe Berlinger’s documentary “Crude”  Paul M. Barrett’s book Law of the Jungle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Elon Musk’s xAI opened a data center called Colossus in South Memphis for its chatbot, Grok, local politicians and business leaders hailed it as the first step towards turning Greater Memphis into “America’s Digital Delta.” But residents soon noticed they were getting sick – and blamed the data center’s methane gas turbines, installed without permits to support the center’s massive electricity needs. Now South Memphis has become a flashpoint in the growing debate over the human and environmental costs of powering AI. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Featured in this episode: KeShaun Pearson Sources: Reporting by the Memphis Commercial Appeal Time’s “We Are the Last of the Forgotten: Inside the Memphis Community Battling Elon Musk’s xAI”  https://time.com/7308925/elon-musk-memphis-ai-data-center/  The Wall Street Journal’s “Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI” https://www.wsj.com/tech/elon-musk-xai-memphis-tennessee-power-dec4c70d  The Natural Resources Defense Council’s “The AI Boom Is Stressing the Grid—But It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way” https://www.nrdc.org/stories/ai-boom-stressing-grid-it-doesnt-have-be-way See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When it comes to organic food, can we really trust what’s on our plate? Do we understand how it was grown or raised? The organic food industry is largely built on the honor system. More than a decade ago, a mild-mannered Missouri farmer exploited that system, raking in millions of dollars and leading a double life in Las Vegas. As it turns out, that wasn’t the only secret he was hiding. Featured in this episode:  Glen Borgerding Jacob Schunk Tony Morfitt  Sources: Ian Parker’s reporting in The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/15/the-great-organic-food-fraud Mike Hendricks’ reporting in The Kansas City Star https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article239079858.html Trial documents from the Department of Justice’s case U.S. v. Randy Constant https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/field-schemes-fraud-results-over-decade-federal-prison-leader-largest-organic-fraud See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Jessey Baca returned from Balad Air Base in Iraq, he began experiencing strange health symptoms: fevers, chills, headaches, difficulty breathing. The VA tried to write off his condition as PTSD, but Jessey and his wife Maria would eventually learn that the likely cause was exposure to burn pits, where the military was incinerating trash with jet fuel. And they weren’t alone. Thousands of veterans were sick and dying from burn pit exposure.  Featured in this episode: Kelly Kennedy Jessey and Maria Baca Sources: Kelly Kennedy’s reporting for The Military Times (https://www.militarytimes.com/) and The War Horse (https://thewarhorse.org/) The New Republic’s “The Things They Burned”: https://newrepublic.com/article/138058/things-burned  The New York Times’ “The Soldiers Came Home Sick. The Government Denied It Was Responsible”: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/11/magazine/military-burn-pits.html See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The tug-of-war over undeveloped land in the U.S. is nothing new, but in 2014 Cliven and Ammon Bundy escalated their dispute over cattle grazing permits in Nevada to another level. Their clash against the federal Bureau of Land Management would galvanize a movement – and set the stage for one of the largest armed uprisings against the government in American history, with lasting consequences for the environment. Featured in this episode:  Betsy Gaines Quammen Sources: Betsy Gaines Quammen's book American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God and Public Lands in the West PBS’s Frontline’s documentary American Patriot. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2015, news broke that Exxon’s own scientists had known for decades that burning fossil fuels was causing global warming. To raise awareness, climate activists launched a campaign called “Exxon Knew.” But almost immediately, they noticed something strange: their private emails seemed to be getting leaked to the press. They were getting hacked – but by who?   Featured in this episode: Kert Davies, Center for Climate Integrity John Scott Railton, The Citizen Lab Sources: The Citzen Lab’s “Dark Basin: Uncovering a Massive Hack-for-Hire Operation”: https://citizenlab.ca/research/dark-basin-uncovering-a-massive-hack-for-hire-operation/  Inside Climate News’s “Exxon: The Road Not Taken”: https://insideclimatenews.org/project/exxon-the-road-not-taken/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the worst industrial disasters in our nation’s history occurred in West Virginia in the 1930s. Not in a coal mine – but in a tunnel chiseled out of a mountain for a hydroelectric power plant. Hundreds of workers, most of them poor and Black, quietly died from breathing in silica dust. For decades, the true scale of the devastation was buried by the companies behind the project. Featured in this episode: Catherine Venable Moore Dr. Martin Cherniack Sources: Dr. Martin Cherniack’s book The Hawk’s Nest Incident: America’s Worst Industrial Disaster  Catherine Venable Moore’s “The Book of the Dead” in Oxford American: https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-94-fall-2016/the-book-of-the-dead Muriel Rukeyser's Book of the Dead George Robinson’s Congressional Testimony NPR’s reporting on the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/20/685821214/before-black-lung-the-hawks-nest-tunnel-disaster-killed-hundreds See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The device you’re using to listen to this podcast almost certainly contains cobalt. It’s a vital component of rechargeable batteries, which are essential to electric vehicles, laptops, and smartphones. But most of the world’s known cobalt reserves are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mines are plagued by child labor, human trafficking, and deadly working conditions. Featured in this episode: Siddharth Kara Sources: Siddharth Kara’s book Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives and his report “Blood Batteries” https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/beacons-of-excellence/rights-lab/resources/reports-and-briefings/2025/august/blood-batteries.pdf  Nicolas Niarchos’ reporting in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/31/the-dark-side-of-congos-cobalt-rush  Amnesty International’s report “This is What We Die For” https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/this_what_we_die_for_-_report.pdf See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the late 1980s, Judi Bari was a fearless activist building an alliance between loggers and environmentalists to save the last of California's old growth redwoods. The same traits that attracted followers to her movement, also made her a lot of enemies. In 1990, a bomb exploded in Judi’s car while she was driving. Somehow she survived – but then the FBI showed up and told her she was under arrest. Featured in this episode:  Darryl Cherney Sources:  Darryl Cherney’s documentary Who Bombed Judi Bari?  Josh Richman’s reporting in High Country News: https://www.hcn.org/issues/issue-229/earth-firster-judi-bari-avenged-at-last/  Judi Bari’s book Timber Wars See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Florida state wildlife officials begin to suspect that someone is illegally harvesting alligator eggs, they launch Operation Alligator Thief. At its heart: a veteran officer named Jeff Babauta, who delays his retirement to go deep undercover as a real Florida Man, hoping to infiltrate the insular world of gator farming. Featured in this episode: Jeff Babauta Rebecca Renner Sources: Rebecca Renner’s book Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 1980s, Philadelphia was in the midst of a trash crisis. A sanitation workers’ strike had left the city with an immense backlog of garbage. The solution: Ship it overseas, on a rusting cargo vessel called the Khian Sea. But when one country after another refused to take Philly’s waste, it turned the Khian Sea’s trash voyage into a trash odyssey, and shed light on a growing problem that critics came to call “garbage imperialism.” Featured in this episode: Kenny Bruno Sources: Simone M. Müller’s book The Toxic Ship Alexander Clapp’s book Waste Wars Planet Money’s reporting on the Mobro 4000: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/739893511 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, Lawless Planet brings you an episode from our friends at Drilled Media. Season 12 of their flagship podcast is called SLAPP’d, and it tells another side of a story we covered earlier in our episode “Surveillance and Sabotage on the Dakota Access Pipeline.” Greenpeace, which was only tangentially involved in the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, has been slapped with a $666 million bill for damages...despite the fact that DAPL was built, and has been making Energy Transfer millions of dollars for years. How did we get here? Cody Hall, an Indigenous water protector who was a key figure during the Standing Rock protests and was initially also targeted in Energy Transfer's suit, walks us through how things went down back in 2016 and 2017, and where this suit began. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re doing something different on Lawless Planet this week. We’re sharing an episode from our friends Scamfluencers — a show that unpacks the wildest true stories of high-profile scams and the con artists behind them. When Jeff Carpoff starts a business making portable solar generators, it becomes an instant hit among big corporations, Hollywood studios, and deep-pocketed investors. They think they’re getting a good deal on green energy – and a huge tax credit to go along with it. But Jeff’s clients don’t realize that he’s been playing them. And when he flies too close to the sun, it’ll blow the fuse on his whole operation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When scam artist Gregory Zaoui got out of prison in 2004, he had a plan to go straight – by selling solar panels. But when he learned about a new carbon trading system that was supposed to reduce CO2 emissions, he saw an obvious loophole. And soon, he found himself at the center of a fraud scheme so extensive that it was hard to tell if the carbon market was doing anything to fight climate change at all. Featured in this episode: Jessica Camille Aguirre Sources: Jessica Camille Aguirre’s reporting in The Atavaist Magazine: https://magazine.atavist.com/2024/watch-it-burn-france-europe-carbon-fraud-scam-vat-betrayal  Alec Henry’s podcast “Le Déclic” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkYkJiFl8Pg See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When oil tankers, freighters and cruise ships reach the end of their lives, nearly all wind up on just three beaches in South Asia. There, unskilled workers earning just a few dollars a day tear them apart with hand tools and blowtorches, to be sold as scrap. The shipbreaking industry has remained unchanged for decades, despite its well-documented dangers to the environment and worker safety. But after a deadly explosion in Pakistan, and a risky investigation in Bangladesh, are changes finally coming? Special thanks to: Julia Bleckner and Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/09/28/trading-lives-profit/how-shipping-industry-circumvents-regulations-scrap-toxic  Ingvild Jenssen and NGO Shipbreaking Platform: https://shipbreakingplatform.org/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Humans have a long history of deploying wild beasts in wartime, from horse-mounted cavalry to Hannibal riding into Rome on an elephant. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, a mysterious group of dolphins appeared in the Black Sea. It signaled a return to an old program that many thought had died with the fall of the Soviet Union. For years, the USSR trained dolphins to advance their military goals. And so did America.  Special thanks to: Pavel Goldin Sergei Dobrynin and Mark Krutov Blair Irvine Sources: Frontline’s The Story of Navy Dolphins: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/etc/navycron.html BBC's Secrets of the Spy Whale: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002504p Sergei Dobrynin and Mark Krutov’s reporting: https://www.svoboda.org/a/31006448.html See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Note: This episode originally aired on July 28, 2025. When a Montana coal mine executive goes missing it exposes the dirty underbelly of one of America’s largest coal mines. Now, with the help of President Donald Trump, the mine is trying to expand – unless a group of cattle ranchers can stop them. Special thanks to: Northern Plains Resource Council (https://northernplains.org/) Montana Environmental Information Center (https://meic.org/) Earthjustice Ellen Pfister Clark Williams-Derry, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (https://ieefa.org/) John Teeling, FBI Special Agent (retired) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What occurred shortly after midnight in Bhopal, India on December 3, 1984 is still being felt – and fought over – four decades later. The scale of the tragedy, involving a pesticide factory and maddening lack of accountability by its corporate owner, raise questions about whether its victims will ever know justice. And have we learned enough to stop something like it from happening again? Special thanks to: Satinath Sarangi, find out more about his work at Sambhavna Clinic See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On April 20, 2010, the crew aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig was in the final stages of sealing up an exploratory well off the coast of Louisiana. It should have been a routine procedure, but something went horribly wrong. By the next morning, Deepwater was sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico – and its operator, BP, was facing tough questions about what had caused the explosion and fire that destroyed the rig. Special thanks to:  Scott West Special Agent-in-Charge, retired US Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and leading to the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. But for Deepwater’s operator, BP, it was just the latest in a series of accidents, spills, and other mishaps that all pointed to a corporate culture deeply rooted in prioritizing profits over safety.  Special thanks to:  Scott West Special Agent-in-Charge, retired US Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a young oil worker goes missing on Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, an indigenous amateur detective named Lissa Yellow Bird-Chase becomes determined to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Her search leads her to some of the most powerful people on the reservation – including, possibly, the tribal chairman himself.   Special thanks to: Lissa Yellow Bird-Chase Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The daughter of civil rights activists, Catherine Coleman Flowers grew up in Lowndes County, Alabama, one of the poorest parts of the Deep South. When she learned that some residents were being jailed for failing to install expensive sewage systems, it sent her on a quest to make proper sanitation a basic human right – a mission that would lead to a historic environmental justice lawsuit. Special thanks to: Catherine Coleman Flowers Dr. Rojelio Mejia See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greenpeace has a long history of successful direct action protest, but their work has made a lot of enemies. Recently, the U.S. arm of the environmental group was found liable for $660 million in damages for their actions against the Dakota Access Pipeline. This week, we’re bringing you a story about an earlier chapter in the organization’s history, when they faced a different kind of attack. Special thanks to: Bunny McDiarmid See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two years after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, 2023, Israel continues its brutal military assault in Gaza. But long before the current conflict, Israeli strikes on infrastructure, control over fuel, and precarious grid access made electricity a flashpoint. This episode is about how energy became another weapon of war, how electrical power begets political power, and what it means when both can be switched off at a moment's notice.  Special thanks to: Ghada Abdulfattah https://muckrack.com/ghada-abdulfattah/articles Michael Barron, author of The Gaza Marine Story: The Politics and Intrigue Behind Palestine’s Untapped Gas Wealth Ariel Ezrahi, author of https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/An-energy-and-sustainability-road-map-for-the-Middle-East.pdf See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the aftermath of a right-wing coup in 2009, Honduras invested in several new clean energy projects, including a hydroelectric dam on a river sacred to the local indigenous population. When activist Berta Cáceras opposed the project, she had no idea how powerful the forces behind it were – and how far they would go in the name of “progress.” Special thanks to: Gustavo Castro Soto  Karen Spring Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Less than a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a series of undersea explosions rocked the Baltic Sea. The target: the Nord Stream pipelines, which supply Russian natural gas to Western Europe. The attack caused over $1 billion in damage and the largest methane leak in recorded history. But who was behind it?   Special thanks to: Holger Stark Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The urgency of solving the climate crisis makes finding a quick fix very tempting. So a few years ago when Nikola CEO Trevor Milton unveiled a hydrogen-powered truck that only emitted water, companies like General Motors bet big on its future. Then a whistleblower came forward and it all fell apart. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a massacre of gorillas in Virunga National Park highlights the constant threat of violence from militias, poachers and gangsters. All that stands in their way is a small army of park rangers, hundreds of whom have been killed while on duty. And soon, they’ll face a new threat: an oil company that wants to drill under the park’s lake. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For nearly 40 years, New York’s private waste removal industry was the domain of the mob, until an undercover cop risked everything to take it down. The gripping tale of what happened next also raises the question: are we any better off without the mafia taking out the trash? Special thanks to: Anthony Vitale Rick Cowan and Douglas Century, co-authors of The Takedown Chris Grosso Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The biggest biofuel scam in U.S. history was committed by the unlikeliest of duos — a polygamist cult-leader and an Armenian mobster. They took one look at our convoluted system of climate regulations, tax codes, and energy incentives and saw nothing but dollar signs. Special thanks to: Jeff Manuel, author of Ethanol: A Hemispheric History for the Future of Biofuels  Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For decades, oil companies like Shell operated with impunity in the Niger River Delta, supported by a string of dictators. Then, an Ogoni activist named Ken Saro-Wiwa became the David to Shell’s Goliath – until Nigerian authorities framed him for murder.  Special thanks to: Where Vultures Feast by Ike Okonta and Oronto Douglas The Politics of Bones by J. Timothy Hunt Amnesty International Owens Wiwa Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When activists Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya take drastic measures to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, they have no idea that a shadowy private security contractor called TigerSwan has them in its sights.  Special thanks to: Alleen Brown and The Intercept (https://theintercept.com/2018/12/30/tigerswan-infiltrator-dakota-access-pipeline-standing-rock/) You Strike A Match by Julia Shipley (https://grist.org/protest/dakota-access-pipeline-activists-property-destruction/) Democracy Now (https://www.democracynow.org/) Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 1980s, an unlikely champion for protecting the Amazon rainforest emerges: Chico Mendes, a rubber tapper and labor organizer from the remote Brazilian state of Acre. His shrewd tactics keep both cattle ranchers and big banks from clear-cutting the jungle. But his success also makes him a target.    Special thanks to: Burning Season by Andrew Revkin The World is Burning by Alex Shoumatoff ((o))eco (https://oeco.org.br/) SUMAÚMA (https://sumauma.com/en/) Gomercindo Rodrigues Angela Mendes Steve Schwartzman Environmental Defense Fund Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Massive, poorly regulated trains carrying hazardous chemicals travel through American towns, cities and suburbs every day. It’s only a matter of time before one derails, with disastrous consequences. And on February 3, 2023, in the tight-knit community of East Palestine, Ohio, that’s exactly what happened. Special thanks to: Moms Clean Air Force (https://www.momscleanairforce.org/) NTSB East Palestine investigation (https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20240930.aspx) Misti Allison Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a Montana coal mine executive goes missing it exposes the dirty underbelly of one of America’s largest coal mines. Now, with the help of President Donald Trump, the mine is trying to expand – unless a group of cattle ranchers can stop them.  Special thanks to: Northern Plains Resource Council (https://northernplains.org/) Montana Environmental Information Center (https://meic.org/) Earthjustice Ellen Pfister Clark Williams-Derry, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (https://ieefa.org/) John Teeling, FBI Special Agent (retired) Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube on July 28th! To listen ad-free, join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It’s not that hard to kill a planet. All it takes is a little drilling, some mining, a generous helping of pollution and voila! Earth over. When you take stock of what’s left, it starts to look like a crime scene: Decapitated mountains, poisoned rivers, oil-soaked pelicans, maybe a sun-bleached cow skull in a dried-up lake bed. The only thing missing is yellow caution tape. On each episode of Lawless Planet, host Zach Goldbaum reveals the scams, murders and cover-ups on the frontline of the climate crisis, and the life and death choices people are making to either protect our world – or destroy it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.