
Damages
Law & Order meets the climate crisis as we dig into the stories behind the hundreds of climate cases around the globe.
Latest episodes

Oct 14, 2023 • 28min
Guyana Update: Gas to Energy for Guyana, or Problem to Profit for Exxon?
A new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) looks at the details of Guyana's planned "Gas to Energy" project and finds mostly benefits for ExxonMobil and more debt for Guyana.Read the full report here: https://ieefa.org/articles/guyana-gas-energy-project-unnecessary-and-financially-unsustainable Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2023 • 32min
The Real Free Speech Threat: Loss Is On the Calendar in Nigeria
We're bringing you this crossover episode from our sister podcast, Inherited, because there's a way in which the constant vilification of protestors and criminalization of their actions has effectively distracted a lot of people from the reason they're out in the streets or in museums or at sporting events in the first place: the climate crisis is already having a devastating impact on communities around the world, and it's only going to get worse. In this episode, Nigerian Mo Isu returns to his hometown of Lagos, meets an activist there, and heads with him to Lokoja – the town where Nigeria’s largest rivers converge – to explore how flood survivors endure the region’s relentless storm cycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2023 • 45min
The Real Free Speech Threat: Meet the Shadowy Global Network Vilifying Climate Protestors
It’s no coincidence that the backlash against climate protest looks the same from country to country. Not only is industry sharing tactics across borders, but also the Atlas Network—a global network of nearly 600 libertarian think tanks—has been swapping strategies and rhetoric for decades. This episode features reporting from Amy Westervelt, Lyndal Rowlands, and Julianna Merullo from Drilled, and Geoff Dembicki from DeSmog. You can see a print version of the story at The New Republic or an even longer print version on our site here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2023 • 23min
The Real Free Speech Threat: In Vietnam, Tax-Evasion Charges Help Lock Up Climate Activists
President Biden made his first trip to Vietnam as President this week, with the intention of "upgrading" diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. Not on the agenda? The country's move to use trumped-up tax evasion charges to suppress civil society groups, including five climate activists that have been imprisoned using this tactic since 2021.Read The 88 Project's report on this practice: https://the88project.org/weaponizing-the-law-to-prosecute-the-vietnam-four/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2023 • 30min
The Real Free Speech Threat: In Australia, a State-by-State Approach to Criminalizing Protest
Since the 2019 passage of the "Dangerous Attachment Devices" bill in response to anti-coal protests in Queensland, Australia's states have moved quickly to follow suit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2023 • 33min
The Real Free Speech Threat: Disha Ravi on Becoming the Face of "Radical" Protest in India
When she was just 22, Disha Ravi, co-founder of Fridays for Future in India, had police show up at her home, borrow a pen and paper to write an arrest warrant on the spot, and bundle her onto a plane to fly across the country to a city she'd never been to. Here she explains what happened, how it's still impacting her two years later, and why she'll never let it stop her activism or force her out of India. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2023 • 34min
The Real Free Speech Threat: The Corporate Push to Criminalize Speech
There's a lot of discourse happening about free speech in the context of "cancel culture" these days, but precious little coverage of the push all over the world to criminalize protest...particularly environmental and climate protest. We'll be digging into this trend in detail over the next several months, but first a look at what prompted extractive industries to start agitating for governments to crack down on protest, what tactics they use, and why they've been so effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 1, 2023 • 27min
Herb, Ep 3: The Next Citizens United Will Be a Climate Case
The podcast discusses ongoing climate liability cases, the defense of free speech, the history of corporate free speech, protecting multinational oil companies, promoting electric vehicles, and the increasing criminalization of climate protest.

Aug 1, 2023 • 31min
Herb, Ep 2: A Legal Strategy
Follow the 'corporate free speech' movement through the courts, with a big assist from tobacco lobbyist-turned-Supreme Court justice Lewis F. Powell. Discover the impact of the Balati decision, Mobile's work on corporate free speech, and their strategy to shape the legal foundation. Learn about Justice Powell's legal strategy and the lawyer who argued and won the Citizens United case.

Aug 1, 2023 • 35min
Herb, Ep 1: The Panic
In this podcast, the history of Mobil Oil's advertorial marketing and its impact on U.S. history is explored. The unconventional methods used to improve the company's public image during an oil crisis are highlighted, along with Herb Schmert's advice on PR tactics. The podcast also discusses online privacy, puzzles for mental well-being, the First Amendment rights of corporations, and the impact of the Citizens United case on campaign finance.