One woman’s fight against one of the most powerful chemical companies in the world.

In this episode of A People’s Climate, Shilpi Chhotray sits down with Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimper and relentless environmental activist, to explore her decades-long fight against Formosa Plastics—a $250 billion petrochemical giant polluting the Texas Gulf Coast. 

From hunger strikes to scaling the White House fence, Diane’s unwavering activism has not only won a historic $50 million settlement, but transformed her community’s fisheries and galvanized citizen-led environmental justice. 

Her story is a masterclass in persistence, civil disobedience, and the power of ordinary people to create extraordinary change.

Key Topics

• Diane Wilson’s activism against Formosa Plastics 
• The historic $50 million settlement and community-led ecological restoration
• Citizen science and nurdle collection as evidence in legal action
• The power of civil disobedience
• Co-founding CODEPINK and the Texas Jail Project
• Parallels between environmental and anti-war activism
• The ongoing fight against corporate polluters and systemic injustice

Resources to Explore

• Diane Wilson
• Nurdle Patrol
• CODEPINK
• Texas Jail Project

Credits

Presented by Counterstream Media and The Nation
Powered by Wildseeds Fund
Host: Shilpi Chhotray
Executive Producer: Mindy Ramaker
Engineer: Francisco Núñez-Capriles
Project Manager: Marianella Nuñez and Sarah Morgan
Additional Research: Sarah Morgan

Learn more at apeoplesclimate.org

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