The Crime Of The Century: How The Oil Industry Created Climate Denial

In September 2015, American independent outlet InsideClimate News published an investigative story revealing that ExxonMobil had known about climate change for decades. Not only that: Exxon and other fossil fuel companies and lobbies chose, in a conscious manner, to undermine the science they had helped create by sowing doubt about the accuracy of and consensus on climate change. The story had been visited before by American researcher Naomi Oreskes, but now we had concrete evidence: Exxon knew.

Since then, the story about the shady links between the fossil fuel industry has grown. Other large companies, such as Shell, have also been involved, and there has been academic research conducted. The whole understanding of climate action has shifted. Yes, we are all responsible for it, but some are guilty of something worse. Many think they should pay for what they did.

The fascinating story of how they managed to create such a web of lies, however, is not so often told. And, even less often, is told so masterfully. Here you have it.

The story focuses on how man-made climate change turned from a generally undisputed fact proved by science to a politically charged issue with feelings attached. That change didn't happen by chance, as you may imagine. And the culprit is still at large.

Drilled is a series of 9 podcasts of around 17 minutes per episode. It was published last month, and it follows a true-crime narrative style. Host Amy Westerweld introduces the different pieces of the puzzle via witnesses, experts and documentation. The pace is lively, the production excellent, and the script perfect. Even if you know this story well, you'll learn lots of new details that help contextualize the whole thing (such as, did you know it all started with an oil price crash?).

I'm absolutely hooked to Drilled. And you'll be too.