Introducing Drilled: Carbon Cowboys

Introducing Drilled: Carbon Cowboys

Author: Pushkin Industries May 12, 2026 Duration: 27:38

Drilled is a true-crime climate change podcast exposing how corporate corruption and political operatives built decades of climate denial and delay. Hosted and reported by award-winning investigative climate journalists, led by Amy Westervelt, each season unravels new evidence of deception, disinformation, and the power structures keeping real climate solutions out of reach.

In September 2025, a group of Brazilian ministers trekked all the way to chilly North Dakota to see a presentation on a new type of clean energy project, one that promised to help them deliver Brazilian President Lula’s dream of turning Brazil into "the Saudi Arabia of sustainable aviation fuels." It was the latest in a string of projects from Midwest Republican kingmaker and corn ethanol magnate Bruce Rastetter, whose investments in Brazil might just transform him into a global carbon czar, even as his Summit pipeline carbon project faces fierce opposition from Iowa to North Dakota. The problem? It all requires loads of land and none of it does a thing about climate change.

Here's episode 1 of Drilled: Carbon Cowboys. Find Drilled wherever you get podcasts.

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Hosted by Ronald Young Jr., Solvable is a series of conversations that cut through the noise surrounding our biggest global challenges. Instead of just outlining the problems, each episode focuses squarely on actionable ideas and the people developing them. You’ll hear from pioneering scientists, community organizers, policy experts, and other innovators who are rolling up their sleeves. These discussions, brought to you by Pushkin Industries, refuse to shy away from complexity, yet they are grounded in a tangible sense of possibility. The dialogue consistently circles back to a central, motivating question: what does a practical path forward actually look like? This approach makes the podcast a refreshing listen for anyone weary of doomscrolling and looking for substance beyond the headlines. It operates on the conviction that even the most daunting issues can be broken down into manageable parts. By focusing on credible solutions, the series builds a compelling case for optimism that’s rooted in hard work and ingenuity. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration that balances clear-eyed analysis with the genuine hope that comes from seeing progress in action.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Solvable
Podcast Episodes
Setbacks: Girls' Exclusion from Education is Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:17
Angeline Murimirwa is executive director of the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED). By engaging local communities in their nomination process, young people and their families receive support that makes education more…
Setbacks: Global Health Inequity is Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:24
As part of our Setbacks series examining the impact of COVID-19 on global development, Paul Farmer explains why he is still optimistic after working for 40 years to end global health inequities. Paul Farmer is a professo…
Surgical Site Infections in Developing Countries Can be Solved [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:28
Dasia Taylor is a senior at Iowa City West High School. She’s working to develop and produce medical sutures, dyed with beets, that can detect infections and alert patients to signs of risk.According to the WHO patients…
Psychological Manipulation is a Solvable Problem [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:08
Cults and other manipulative groups are an issue of public health and Diane Benscoter has strategies that may help.Diane Benscoter is the founder of Antidote and the author of Shoes of a Servant: My Unconditional Devotio…
Making Medical Deliveries by Drone is Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:23
Keller Rinaudo is the CEO and Founder of Zipline International. Their “sky ambulance” service is delivering medical supplies to hard to reach places via drone delivery.Here are some links to information and resources tha…
Racialized Trauma is Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:18
Resmaa Menakem is an author and psychotherapist working in Minneapolis Minnesota. As a specialist focused on racial trauma, Menakem works to help people metabolize intergenerational pain and pay attention to the cues the…
Extreme Poverty in New York City is Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:42
Andrew Yang is running for Mayor of New York City and he thinks that extreme poverty is a solvable problem. Here are some links to learn more about universal basic income and guaranteed minimum income. “2021 Will Be the…
The Lack of Basic Sanitation in the United States is Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:42
Catherine Coleman Flowers is the Founder and Director of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice. She was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant in 2020 for her work researching and documenting America’s wast…
The Problems of Regulating Algorithms are Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:28
Nathan Matias is a professor at Cornell University and leads the Citizens and Technology Lab. He believes that the strong tradition of scrappy, responsive, citizen science (which has led to positive changes in food safet…
Designing Digital Spaces That Bring Us Together Is Solvable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:22
Eli Pariser is a social activist and technology entrepreneur. He sits on the U.S. Programs Board of the Open Society Foundation and the Information and Democracy Commission. He is currently co-director of the Civic Signa…