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Lawless Planet

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Lawless Planet

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About this listen

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.


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©2025 Audible (P)2025 Audible Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • The People vs. Big Oil, Part 1: 'Amazon Chernobyl'

    The People vs. Big Oil, Part 1: 'Amazon Chernobyl'
    Mar 9 2026
    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.
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    46 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • When Elon Musk’s Data Center Came to Town

    When Elon Musk’s Data Center Came to Town
    Mar 2 2026
    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.
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    43 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • 'Field of Schemes': Organic Farming’s Epic Fraud

    'Field of Schemes': Organic Farming’s Epic Fraud
    Feb 23 2026
    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.
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    43 mins
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