The People vs. Big Oil, Part 1: 'Amazon Chernobyl'

About this episode

This episode explores the legal battle against Texaco (Chevron) for the environmental and health impacts of their oil extraction in Ecuador, featuring attorneys Pablo Fajardo and Steven Donziger.

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 .

People in this episode

Guests: Pablo Fajardo, Steven Donziger

Topics covered

• environmental disaster
• legal battle
• oil industry
• Ecuador
• public health
• courtroom drama

Keywords

• Amazon Chernobyl
• Texaco
• Chevron
• Ecuador
• environmental lawsuit
• Pablo Fajardo
• Steven Donziger
• oil disaster
• courtroom drama

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Texaco, Chevron

Books & works: Jungle Law, Reversal of Fortune, Crude, Law of the Jungle

Places: Ecuador

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