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Drilled: Displaced

Pushkin Industries

By 2050, one in eight people are expected to have been displaced by climate change, forcing millions of people to leave their hometowns, their countries of origin, and in many cases their identities behind. For communities all over the world, that time has already come. In this three-part mini series, Drilled global climate justice reporter Nina Lakhani takes us to three Latin American communities, each dealing with climate displacement—and the race to save their community—in a different way, to give listeners a window into the complexities of this issue. Imagine if your kid's school was suddenly submerged in the ocean, or if the government gave you a new house but it was 20 miles away and looked like everyone else's, or if the same country that made the drought worse in your village stole your stuff and put you in prison for the crime of trying to feed your family?


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.

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  • 35 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 39 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Yesterday · 2 min

    Welcome to Displaced/Bienvenidos a Desplazado

    One in eight people are projected to be displaced by climate change by 2050, and for many the time has already come. In this three-part series, Nina Lakhani takes us to three communities in Latin America grappling with climate displacement in different ways. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S17 · E8
    Friday · 1 hr

    Everything You Need to Know about COP 31 | The Spill

    The 31st annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP31) kicks off in Türkiye in a couple weeks. Drilled climate reporters — and COP veterans — Nina Lakhani, Amy Westervelt, and Royce Kurmelovs download everything you need to know as the talks commence. Plus, Nina interviews climate activist Harjeet Singh about what the climate movement will be fighting for in Türkiye. Reading list from today’s show: 1. “What the Pre-COP in the Pacific Tells Us About What to Expect at COP31,” by Royce Kurmelovs for Drilled. 2. "Oil majors reap bumper profits as Mideast war drives prices," by Alexandra Bacon for Yahoo! Finance. 3. Amy Westervelt's new book, Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S17 · E7
    October 23 · 1 hr 4 min

    Three Climate Journalists Take on Digger | The Spill

    Climate journalists Amy Westervelt, Nina Lakhani and Alleen Brown share whether they loved or hated the polarizing, big budget, box office flop, Digger. Plus a discussion on the role of pop culture in confronting the climate crisis and some of the team's favorite socially conscious music and movies. In the second half of the episode, Ugandan environmental journalist Diana Taremwa-Karakire talks about what it's like covering the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline or EACOP. Watch list from today's show: 1. Digger (2026), director Alejandro Iñárritu's big huge climate movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbW1DmEECiM 2. History of Concrete (2026), John Wilson's quirky infrastructure documentary with environmental undertones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O05arcJjOd0 3. The Great Experiment (2026), a portrait of a polarized United States during Trump's first term, by directors Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar: https://www.thegreatexperimentfilm.com/trailer 4. Armageddon (1998) doesn't get remembered as fossil fuel industry propaganda but has a strong pro-oil message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8eEniEfgU 5. No Other Land (2024) documents a Palestinian family's fight to defend their land against Israeli settlers and soldiers in the occupied West Bank, by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor: https://releasing.dogwoof.com/no-other-land 6. In The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025), director Kaouther Ben Hania dramatizes the real-life killing of a 5-year-old Palestinian child by Israeli soldiers as she begs paramedics on the telephone to come save her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrssPpqv6vc 7. Families Like Ours (2024), Thomas Vinterberg's Danish TV drama with climate displacement as the backdrop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AAPM6y7yCA Listen list from today’s show: 1. Neil Young is as angry as he ever was, and we're here for it. Let's Roll Again was the stand out song (by some distance) from his 2025 album Talkin’ To the Trees, a plea to American carmakers to catch up with China and make better, cheaper electric vehicles. It includes an iconic dig at Elon Musk: “If your a fascist, then get a Tesla. If it’s electric, it doesn’t matter.” https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-young-tesla-lets-roll-again-1235330354/ 2. Is Bruce Springsteen's song Streets of Minneapolis corny? Perhaps. But it's still cathartic to sing along to for those of us from the city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDaPdpwA4Iw&list=RDGDaPdpwA4Iw&start_radio=1 3. The late Irish musician Sinead O'Connor was often inspired to write about injustices around her, like the beautiful song Black Boys on Mopeds (1990) which is a scathing critique of institutional racism in the UK. https://medium.com/@angel.lloyd/england-is-not-the-mythical-land-of-madam-george-and-roses-6cdb103ec6a Reading List: 1. Don't Look Up (2021) by Adam McKay was the last big climate satire to hit our screens. It was also a flop with critics, but unlike Digger, was a hit with audiences: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/08/dont-look-up-four-climate-experts-on-the-polarising-disaster-film 2. "Indigenous Communities, Activists in Africa Gird for Legal Battles with Governments over Climate Harms," by Diana Diana Taremwa-Karakire: https://drilled.media/litigation-and-law/indigenous-communities-activists-in-africa-gird-for-legal-battles-with-governments-over-climate-harms/ 3. "Africa’s Longest Crude Oil Export Pipeline Isn’t Just Taking Indigenous Land, It Is Disturbing the Dead," by by Diana Diana Taremwa-Karakire: https://drilled.media/news/eacop-graves/ 4. Indigenous Times (magazine): https://indigenoustime.com/about-us See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S17 · E6
    October 16 · 1 hr 3 min

    The Paradox of Mining Lithium to Save the Planet | The Spill

    Most proposals to keep fossil fuels in the ground rely on taking new minerals out of the ground — especially lithium, a major component in the batteries powering electric vehicles. In Thea Riofrancos' book, Extraction, she visits the communities most impacted by lithium mining, explores the mineral's politics and history, and proposes a pathway toward harm reduction. Reading list from today’s show: 1. Thea Riofrancos' book, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism 2. Amy Westervelt's new book, Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S17 · E5
    October 9 · 37 min

    How Tech Billionaires Broke Democracy | The Spill

    Tech billionaires have increasing influence over all aspects of our lives, and it's not by accident. Amy Westervelt and Gil Durán both recently published books examining the ideas and individuals driving the phenomenon. They discuss what it has to do with the climate crisis and the deterioration of democracy. Reading list from today’s show: 1. Gil Durán's new book, The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy 2. Amy Westervelt's new book, Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy 3. Lithub interview between Gil and Amy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S17 · E4
    October 2 · 47 min

    Garifuna land defenders vs. Survivor (as in the TV show) | The Spill

    Amy Westervelt, Nina Lakhani and Alleen Brown chat about Standing Rock 10 years later, Global Witness's latest report on assassinations of land defenders, and why Palestinians in Gaza are land defenders, too. Meanwhile, Afro-Indigenous Garífuna leaders in Honduras have set up an occupation in front of the country's Supreme Court, in defense of their land rights. Nina interviews Karen Spring, coordinator of the the Honduras Solidarity Network, about what this has to do with Trump and the TV show Survivor. Reading list from today’s show: 1. The Propagandist, Drilled's narrative podcast series on propaganda aimed against the Standing Rock movement 2. Global Witness's annual report on assassinations of land defenders 3. Nina Lakhani's chapter on ecocide in Gaza is featured in the book Gaza: The Story of a Genocide 4. Nina's other book, Who Killed Berta Cáceres?: Dams, Death Squads, and an Indigenous Defender’s Battle for the Planet 5. El libro de Nina, traducción al español, ¿Quién mató a Berta Cáceres? 6. Reportage desde el campamento de resistencia Garífuna por la periodista Mexicana Blanche Petrich 7. Amy Westervelt's new book, Brought to You By: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S17 · E3
    September 25 · 39 min

    Carbon Credit Markets Have a Human Rights Problem | The Spill

    Drilled global climate justice reporter Nina Lakhani interviews Elisa Morgera, the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change about Morgera’s latest report on the fundamental shortcomings of credit markets. Posed as a solution to the climate crisis, carbon credit markets have for years failed to deliver, while violating the human rights of the people most impacted by the climate crisis. Meanwhile, states have developed carbon tunnel-vision, fixating on schemes to reduce carbon emissions, while avoiding the root cause of the issue: fossil fuels. Lakhani and Morgera discuss all that and more. Reading list from today’s show: 1. Elisa Morgera's latest report on rethinking carbon markets. 2. Elisa's report on transforming food systems 3. Diana Taremwa-Karakire's recent piece for Drilled on a Kenyan carbon credit project 4. Nina Lakhani’s analysis on the Santa Marta climate conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels 5. More reporting on the failures of carbon markets 6. Amy Westervelt's book: https://geni.us/broughttoyouby See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • September 22 · 39 min

    The Invitation from OCCUPY!: An Unfinished Uprising

    Today we're sharing an episode of OCCUPY!: An Unfinished Uprising. The story of Occupy Wall Street — how it exploded, how it collapsed, and why its lessons may matter more now than ever before — from the voices of activists who camped out in New York City for two months. If you like what you hear, find OCCUPY!: An Unfinished Uprising wherever you listen to podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S17 · E2
    September 18 · 41 min

    The Climate Movement Fights Back | The Spill

    In this week's episode Alleen Brown speaks with Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of The Sunrise Movement about being infiltrated by the feds, why fighting authoritarianism is a climate fight, and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • September 15 · 1 hr 17 min

    Amy Westervelt on the Real Organic Podcast: Think Tanks, Greenwashing + The War on Reality

    This week we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at the Real Organic Podcast, the Anthem-award-winning “Best Sustainability, Environment & Climate Podcast” produced by the Real Organic Project. Recently named one of the "best climate podcasts" by Earth.org, the Real Organic Podcast uncovers the forces reshaping organic farming today. Hosted by Linley Dixon and Dave Chapman, each episode features deep conversations with farmers, scientists, chefs, and journalists fighting to keep the organic movement truly organic. Like today’s special episode, featuring Drilled’s own Amy Westervelt, for a conversation about the hidden systems and greenwashing campaigns that have shaped public discourse and debate for more than a century. From early corporate PR to modern think tanks and strategic legal influence, she shows how the information ecosystem itself has been bent in service of fossil fuel profits. For more episodes like this, make sure to follow Real Organic Podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And tell them we sent you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • Transcript
  • S17 · E1
    September 11 · 48 min

    Welcome to "The Spill," Our New Weekly Newscast

    Amy Westervelt, Nina Lakhani and Alleen Brown on the world on fire, how the media is covering the climate crisis, what's happening with the industry as a whole, and how it all relates to rising authoritarianism. The Spill is our new weekly show to bring you news, rants, and interviews in between narrative seasons. Reading list from today's show: Amy's book: geni.us/broughttoyouby The Guardian on fossil fuel companies' war profiteering: https://www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2026/aug/04/revealed-major-oil-firms-make-93bn-profits-amid-war-and-climate-crisis Nina's past reporting on extreme heat deaths: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2025/oct/09/extreme-heat-deaths-autopsy Drilled coverage of criminal conduct in Venezuela: https://drilled.media/news/hopenhaym Drilled reporting on the U.S.-Venezuela-Guyana triangle: https://drilled.media/news/guyana-venezuela Alleen's new series "The Propagandist": https://drilled.media/podcasts/drilled/16/s16-ep01 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S16 · E3
    September 8 · 39 min

    Episode 3: The Story of a Decade-Long Investigation

    Alleen could only put together a story like this because she's stayed on the beat for a decade, building relationships and hunting for documents. At the 10-year anniversary of the Standing Rock movement, she gives us a look at why it's important for democracy for journalists to go deeper than breaking news. Speaking of which...Buy Amy's book! https://geni.us/broughttoyouby For a look at the primary documents underpinning this series, head to https://drilled.media/.This mini-series was reported in partnership with High Country News, and a print feature accompanying it is available on their website: https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-8/inside-standing-rocks-propaganda-war/. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S16 · E2
    September 1 · 43 min

    Episode 2: The Real Outside Agitators of Iowa

    The pipeline has been built, the protest camps disbanded, but the fight isn't over. As pipeline opponents set up a new camp in Iowa, the Tiger Swan propagandists follow them, this time with the help of an undercover infiltrator. A WhatsApp chat reveals the private spies' machinations. For a look at the primary documents underpinning this episode, head to https://drilled.media/.This mini-series was reported in partnership with High Country News, and a print feature accompanying it is available on their website: https://www.hcn.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • Transcript
  • S16 · E1
    August 25 · 37 min

    Episode 1: North Dakota’s Facebook Mercenaries

    As protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline began to grow in North Dakota, a new seemingly grassroots Facebook page emerged. In this episode we meet the hired gun behind it, Robert Rice, who was working for the pipeline company's private security company, Tiger Swan. For a look at the primary documents underpinning this episode, head to the Drilled site. This mini-series was reported in partnership with High Country News, and a print feature accompanying it is available on their website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • Transcript
  • August 11 · 2 min

    Welcome to The Propagandist

    10 years ago, rural North Dakota became the hub of one of the largest Indigenous-led protests in decades, and one of the largest climate protests ever in U.S. history: Standing Rock. What started as a protest against a pipeline turned into a political flashpoint thanks to social media. The pipeline company's private security contractors exploited the moment, using propaganda to fan the flames of long-simmering divisions in the community and amplify the voices of groups that were pro-pipeline or anti-protestor. A decade later, the community is still divided and the tactics used at Standing Rock have been used to sew division all over the country. Never-before-published documents give us a unique insight into the strategy deployed back then, and into how things got the way they are today. Drilled: The Propagandist begins on August 25. Pushkin+ subscribers can hear all three episodes early and ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Drilled show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • July 14 · 23 min

    Should we mess with nature? | Introducing How We Survive

    The climate crisis is escalating. We have to decarbonize our economy, but we’re moving too slowly. So, what’s the backup plan? This season of “How We Survive” is about engineering nature: large-scale interventions that could be our last hope. We’ll explore technology that could alter our weather patterns, transform our planet, and possibly save us all from the worst outcomes of the climate crisis. Or lead to catastrophic, unintended consequences. In this episode, Amy explores one of the wildest climate interventions to date: de-extinction. She takes a tour of Colossal Labs, the $10 billion Dallas startup betting it can reverse-engineer extinction itself, to see how they plan to turn pigeons into dodos and Asian elephants into woolly mammoths. But whether it’s bringing back the woolly mammoth from extinction or shooting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, just because we can mess with nature, does that mean we should? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S15 · E6
    June 16 · 34 min

    A Tipping Point

    Treating climate solutions like an infinite money cheat might not be a great way to actually solve the problem, though it's sure to make plenty of "green" entrepreneurs rich. It makes sense that businessmen would stay focused on profits, but why do climate advocates keep supporting these ideas? This season is a collaboration with the Intercept Brasil. You can get the show in Portuguese on their feed as well, and companion stories at: https://www.intercept.com.br/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • S15 · E5
    June 9 · 40 min

    The Saudi Arabia of Biofuels

    With the sustainable aviation fuel industry set to explode, carbon capture has thrown the corn ethanol industry a lifeline...but what does another corn ethanol boom mean for everyone else? This season is a collaboration with the Intercept Brasil. You can get the show in Portuguese on their feed as well, and companion stories at: https://www.intercept.com.br/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • Transcript
  • S15 · E4
    June 2 · 34 min

    Into the Amazon

    Industrial agriculture has wrapped itself in a green cloak in Mato Grosso, promising jobs, money and endless opportunities, all in the name of "sustainability." But the good times are only happening for a select few. Local residents are dealing with extreme weather, lack of access to fresh food, and a pesticide overload that has increased the risk of birth defects and lowered lifespans. Meanwhile, Bruce and the guys have now ventured into new territory: the Amazon. This season is a collaboration with the Intercept Brasil. You can get the show in Portuguese on their feed as well, and companion stories at: https://www.intercept.com.br/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • Transcript
  • S15 · E3
    May 26 · 26 min

    The Brazilian Midwest

    Bruce's Brazilian business partners run the state of Mato Grosso and the town the company is headquartered in. So while he fights endless pushback to his pipeline project in Iowa, business in Brazil is booming. This season is a collaboration with the Intercept Brasil. You can get the show in Portuguese on their feed as well, and companion stories at: https://www.intercept.com.br/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • Transcript
Showing 1–20 of 35 episodes