How much worse is a billionaire’s impact on the planet? Does being a billionaire change your psychology? How do billionaire corporations greenwash? Are billionaires also puppeteering the nonprofit sector? Today’s guest, John Pabon, is here to zone in on some of the greatest greenwashers of all time—billionaires.

Greenwashing is when a company or government uses misleading marketing to present itself as environmentally friendly, often with little or no actual effort to reduce its environmental impact. Spoiler alert: billionaires do indeed greenwash, and in astronomically big ways. One example is BP’s carbon footprint calculator. BP, one of the biggest polluters on the planet, created it to show you how much you’re contributing to the climate crisis, leaving BP out of the equation and putting the onus on individuals. It’s diabolical. It’s also classic greenwashing.

It won’t surprise you that billionaires affect the climate differently from you and me. But just how much might! John shared facts from an Oxfam study to explain the scale of that impact. This is the part of the show where you can hear me physically trying not to have a meltdown at the absurdity of it all. The Oxfam study found that the 50 richest people in the world emit more carbon in 90 minutes than the average person emits in their ENTIRE lifetime. The richest 1% are responsible for 16% of global emissions. 40% of billionaire investments are in highly polluting industries. So it’s not just their yachts and private jets—it’s how they keep spending their money. To add insult to injury, people in the 1% pat themselves on the back for being “philanthropic” and donating to causes that work on the issues they helped create.

And if you’re thinking, “How is that possible? What are they thinking?” Well, it turns out that having that much money makes you think differently from the rest of us. A Berkeley study found that luxury car drivers were more likely to ignore traffic rules, cut off other motorists, and ignore pedestrians; they were also more likely not to see anyone on the road. Watch out for luxury cars, y’all! If this is making your blood boil—same. Of course, we can divest from billionaire companies like Amazon or Google. But this is where community power comes in. It’s not just on you to take down billionaires. It’s up to all of us to work together—and those cool killer whales sinking yachts.

Listen now to find out how John has been unwinding lately!

Find out more about John's work: johnpabon.com

Support the podcast: patreon.com/c/unwindmovementmedia

Find zines, take classes with me, and more: unwindmovementmedia.com

Follow on Substack: unwindmovementmedia.substack.com

Resources mentioned in the show:

• Oxfam report: "Carbon Inequality Kills"

Editor's note: The terms developed countries and undeveloped countries originated as a way for organizations like the UN and World Bank to categorize countries economically, often to determine aid eligibility. In this episode, that is the context in which the terms are used. Rightfully so, a growing movement is working to update that language.

Guest host: Claire Howe

Music produced by M Baxley of Bear Witness Media

What are the basics of the science behind the climate crisis? How do we combat misinformation about that science? What did Big Oil know about the climate crisis, and when? And how do we hold it accountable?

This week’s guest, Kelly Sanks, gives us the basics of the science and shares insights into Big Oil’s deception. Kelly is the climate science lead at the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI). CCI uses expertise in science, law, advocacy, research, and strategic communications to help communities hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their climate deception and the disasters that have followed.

Our conversation started with the science of the climate crisis. I asked Kelly to break it down for me as if I were a seventh-grade science student. She gave helpful explanations we can all use in our elevator speeches about the science of the climate crisis. Kelly explained how excess CO2 and methane from burning fossil fuels intensify heat, extreme rainfall, flooding, sea-level rise, and other cascading impacts. We discussed how countries and people that contribute the least to the climate crisis are already facing worsening impacts.

Then we got into the really juicy stuff—lies, deception, and cover-ups—oh my! What sounds like the tagline from a bad reality TV show is the reality of the fossil fuel industry. Kelly explained that documentation shows the fossil fuel industry knew the devastation it was causing—the industry wrote the report itself! Despite that knowledge, it kept going, driven by profits rather than the public good. Kelly and I ended by talking about how to hold the industry accountable, including by supporting climate-deception lawsuits and opposing legal immunity for fossil fuel companies. When you find out how deep this deception runs, you’ll get pissed off. Let that motivate you to help take this industry DOWN!

Listen now to find out how Kelly has been unwinding lately!

Find out more about Kelly's work at The Center for Climate Integrity: climateintegrity.org/about/people/kelly-sanks

Support the podcast: patreon.com/c/unwindmovementmedia

Find zines, take classes with Carly, and more: unwindmovementmedia.com

Follow on Substack: unwindmovementmedia.substack.com

Resources mentioned in the show:

• "Republicans Are Trying to Give Big Oil Immunity for Causing Climate Chaos"
• "As climate lawsuits advance, the oil industry enters ‘panic mode’"
• Climate Files
• Info about the Montana youth climate case
• Look around The Center for Climate Integrity website for tons of resources!

Music produced by M Baxley of Bear Witness Media

How has climate crisis journalism changed in the last few years? Why are organizations like Grist so important? How do you write about the reality of the climate crisis without losing hope? And how do you know a story is a success?

Grist Associate Editor Claire Thompson is on the pod this week to get into the state of climate journalism today. Grist is a non-profit, independent, digital climate news organization. Claire and her comrades at Grist highlight narrative stories about people’s experience with climate change impacts and advocacy. Starting as an intern, Claire has been at Grist for eight years, watching the coverage of the climate crisis evolve.

Claire shared that there’s been a campaign (and unfortunate success) to hide the link between those climate impacts and the worsening climate crisis. Reporting on the climate crisis accurately, not to mention sharing solutions, is a threat to the capitalist system that depends on extraction. Despite that, Grist continues. Claire is an important part of that team, writing the weekly solutions-focused newsletter, Looking Forward. Highly recommend! Grist's work shows that storytelling can change lives. Listen for a powerful example of this from Chicago!

Mental health came up in our conversation, as I wondered how she stays hopeful while reporting about the realities of the climate crisis. Grist has been running a column called Ask a Climate Therapist with Leslie Davenport. Claire highlighted the power of learning coping skills to handle the constant onslaught of information in our world.

Listen now to find out how Claire has been unwinding lately!

Find out more about Claire's work at Grist: Grist.org/author/claire-elise-thompson/

Support the podcast: patreon.com/c/unwindmovementmedia

Find zines, take classes with Carly, and more: unwindmovementmedia.com

Follow on Substack: unwindmovementmedia.substack.com

Music produced by M Baxley of Bear Witness Media