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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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