Weaponized Courts and Weakened Opposition

My guest today is Steven Donziger, a human rights and environmental lawyer best known for leading a historic legal case against Chevron on behalf of Indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

We discuss Chevron’s environmental crimes, the weaponization of the legal system, the implications of the recent $600+ million verdict against Greenpeace USA, and what all of this means for climate activism, democracy, and political resistance today.

Support the campaign to restore Steven’s law license: https://chuffed.org/campaign/standwithdonziger

Sign Greenpeace’s open letter against the Energy Transfer verdict: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/energy-transfer-lawsuit/

Read Steven’s writing on Substack: https://substack.com/@stevendonziger

Follow Steven on social media:

Twitter: https://x.com/SDonziger

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevendonziger/

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00:00 Chevron doesn’t want you to hear this

00:34 Introducing Steven Donziger

02:12 The legal battle against Chevron

09:05 Chevron’s power in Ecuador

11:28 Shifting the cultural narrative 

17:05 The legacy of the Ecuadorian people’s win

18:59 Chevron’s retaliation strategy against Donziger

24:10 Personal struggles & resilience

27:43 House arrest & disbarment

34:40 History repeats: Energy Transfer vs. Greenpeace

39:34 The ongoing criminalization of climate advocacy

44:00 The lack of opposition & what to do about it 

52:06 Elite capture & lessons from history

54:42 A movement towards democratic socialism?

58:38 Reasons for hope (& skepticism)

1:02:20 Historical examples of political transformation

1:07:06 Actions to take now

1:10:15 Self-care, resilience & solidarity

1:12:18 The campaign to restore Steven’s law license

1:14:58 Conclusion & links

Host/Creator: Michael Mezzatesta

Guest: Steven Donziger

Editor: Nuria Salgado

Designer: Amea Wadsworth

Thanks for watching episode 007. Lots more on the way :)