The (ir)Rational Alaskans, pt. 1 (Re-Run)

We’re beginning a mid-season break. If you’re new to Cited, this is a good time to explore our large archive. On this episode, we re-post part one of our award-winning series, the (ir)Rational Alaskans.

After the unprecedented Exxon Valdez oil spill, a jury of ordinary Alaskans decided that Exxon had to be punished. However, Exxon fought back against their punishment. They did so, in part, by supporting research that suggested jurors are irrational. This work came from an esteemed group of psychologists, behavioural economists, and legal theorists–including Daniel Kahneman, and Cass Sunstein.

That series came out in the summer of 2024. Recently, it was honoured with a Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association.

If you’ve already heard it, you could check out some of our other environmental-focused episodes deeper in the Cited archive, including: the Battle of Buxton, America’s Chernobyl, and Modifying Maize.

Plus: Live in Toronto? Come out to our live event, October 2nd.