The Power of Big Oil Part One: Denial (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

FRONTLINE PBS | Official April 20, 2022

Watch part one of “The Power of Big Oil,” a three-episode

The Power of Big Oil Part One: Denial (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

FRONTLINE PBS | Official April 20, 2022

Watch part one of “The Power of Big Oil,” a three-episode FRONTLINE docuseries investigating the fossil fuel industry’s history of casting doubt and delaying action on climate change.

Go inside the decades-long failure to confront the threat and increasing impacts of climate change in “The Power of Big Oil.” This deeply researched docuseries reveals what scientists, corporations and politicians have known about human-caused climate change for decades, and the missed opportunities to mitigate the problem.

This journalism is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station here: http://www.pbs.org/donate. 

Parts two and three of “The Power of Big Oil” premiere April 26 and May 3 on PBS and online: https://to.pbs.org/3rByEEe

Part Two here on EarthSayers.tv.

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Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California to discover the effects of a devastating drought that’s plagued the Golden State for years. Jeff explores the

Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California to discover the effects of a devastating drought that’s plagued the Golden State for years. Jeff explores the aftermath of the massive Caldor Fire and meets the brave firefighters on the frontlines of climate change. Then, Jeff travels to Washington State to connect with two vital and threatened species: the resourceful American beaver and the endangered Pygmy rabbit. Jeff works alongside conservationists fighting to protect these amazing animals and the ecosystems where they live. Video transcript: Jeff Corwin: Today's adventure begins in the great Pacific Northwest state of Washington. We're on a mission to save a species that transforms its habitat like few other creatures on earth, beavers. Jeff Corwin: Adult beavers use powerful jaws and sharp teeth to chew down hundreds of trees and build complex dams and lodges. As they build, they increase water storage, filter pollutants, and promote biodiversity. But beavers were hunted to near extinction beginning with the fur trades of the 1800s. Now, less than 3% of the original population remains. Jeff Corwin: This morning, I'm joining Molly Alves and Dylan Collins from the Tulalip Beaver Project. Our mission is to catch a family of beavers that are making an unwelcomed impact on the landscape of this private farm. We have a situation. Beavers are critical to this ecosystem, but sometimes beavers find themselves in a coexistence challenge. And that's what's happened today. And how are we going to fix that? Molly Alves: Yeah, so we are removing these beavers because the alternative is lethal management of these beavers. So we are going to trap the beaver family and relocate them up to Forest Service land. Jeff Corwin: Okay. Let's do it. Jeff Corwin: Molly uses a humane capturing system known as a suitcase trap. Beavers have an incredibly great sense of smell and they produce a secretion to mark their territory called castoreum. Molly Alves: So we are going to use a castor-based lure. Less is more. Jeff Corwin: When a beaver enters to investigate the smell, it will be safely trapped inside. Molly Alves: It's very important that we don't get any of this lure in the water because there may be another beaver family, half a mile downstream. And if we get it into the water column, it could attract beavers from different areas. And that is enough- Jeff Corwin: That's it. Molly Alves: To get their attention. Jeff Corwin: All right, our trap has been set. Jeff Corwin: Beavers are highly social animals with strong family bonds. In order for beavers to be successful in their new home, Molly and her team need to relocate the entire family. So we set several traps around the farm and before long we've got one. Jeff Corwin: So, we have a beaver. Molly Alves: That appears to be an adult. Jeff Corwin: And now we've got to move it. And how do we do that without getting nibbled? Molly Alves: Carefully. Jeff Corwin: Carefully. Okay, let's do it. Right now, it seems pretty calm, but that could change in a dime. There it be, our incredible beaver. Jeff Corwin: The Tulalip Tribal Community are leaders in wildlife management and their beaver relocation project is a huge success. This Tulalip fish hatchery will serve as a temporary home for the beaver while the rest of her family is captured. To make sure this beaver and we humans stay safe, we keep the beaver in the suitcase trap. This way, we don't have to use a sedative. Jeff Corwin: We've been successful in rescuing this beaver from a situation that may not have worked out, but this is only one step in this very important program that's really about a connection to salmon, isn't it? Molly Alves: Yes. So the reason we started this program at Tulalip is because salmon are an incredibly important subsistence resource for tribal members. And what beavers do in the areas that we're placing them is build dams that create awesome salmon-rearing habitat. So it's really all about salmon conservation and beavers are our partners in that restoration. Jeff Corwin: The next step is to collect important data from this beaver that the research partners at Washington State and the US Forest Service will use to better understand them. Dylan Collins: 58 pounds. Jeff Corwin: 58. So this is a good size beaver. Molly Alves: It is. All right, Jeff, if you would please grab a hair sample. Jeff Corwin: And, of course, what you can see is that there's different layers of hair because fur, if you live in cold water, it's critical, isn't it? Molly Alves: Absolutely. It keeps them insulated. Jeff Corwin: We coveted that warm pelt and it nearly drove them to extinction. Molly Alves: Yeah, exactly. Beavers were nearly extirpated from Washington State back in the late 1980s. And they're just starting to really make a big recovery. We've hit our character limit. Leave a comment for the rest of the transcript.

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Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure across the Great Plains of the United States on a mission to understand the connection between the incredible species that call it home. First, Jeff travels

Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure across the Great Plains of the United States on a mission to understand the connection between the incredible species that call it home. First, Jeff travels to the Canadian border to help Native American tribes re-establish bison across tribal lands. Jeff learns how ancient bison herds once shaped the Great Plains and how modern conservationists are fighting to bring those herds back. Later, Jeff works with biologists to manage a delicate population of black-footed ferrets, a species once believed to be extinct. Jeff discovers how wild bison play a vital role in ferret survival and the survival of the Great Plains themselves. Video transcript: Jeff Corwin: The black-footed ferret was once believed to be extinct, but thanks to critical conservation work, and a little bit of luck, this incredible species has been rescued from the brink. Unfortunately, there are only about 400 left in the wild. In order to protect this fragile population, scientists first need to find them. Jeff Corwin: We're back in Montana, this time visiting the Fort Belknap Indian Community, home of the A'aninin and Nakoda tribes. I'm with canine field specialist Melissa Steen and Tule, one of the best black-footed ferret finders in the business. Jeff Corwin: So she's basically going from whole to whole sniffing for the presence of a black-footed ferret. Melissa Steen: There she goes. Jeff Corwin: So what's that behavior mean? Melissa Steen: So when she sits she's telling me she's found something. Jeff Corwin: So these are actually the borrows of prairie dogs from two to 10 feet into the earth, all snaking and twisting and rooting together. And there's potentially a black-footed ferret here taking advantage of the presence of prairie dogs, because they depend on prairie dogs. Jeff Corwin: Prairie dogs are a keystone species. Approximately 150 other species benefit or depend upon prairie dogs for survival, especially the black-footed ferret. Tragically in the 1900s widespread habitat destruction and the arrival of a disease called Sylvatic plague reduced the population by more than 95%. Without prairie dogs, the black-footed ferret almost completely disappeared. The few that remain here at Fort Belknap are some of the last on earth. Melissa Steen: So what we do now is we are going to flag this hole. Tule. Good girl. Then I'm going to take my GPS and mark this spot. And that will help inform where they send people out tonight to help look for the ferret. Jeff Corwin: So the next layer of this incredible conservation project with black-footed ferrets takes us to the spotlight team. Jeff Corwin: Darkness falls quickly over the prairie and I'm teaming up with Chamois Andersen from Defenders of Wildlife. Jeff Corwin: Chamois, just kind of going over the horizon with this spotlight. And what are you looking for? Chamois Anderssen: Yeah, I'm scanning the prairie for what are green eyes, the sheen of the ferret's eyes are green. They look like emeralds. And they're close to the ground, dipping in and out of the prairie dog burrows. It's sort of like playing tag. Jeff Corwin: Finally we find a black-footed ferret. Jeff Corwin: All right. So this is where proof is in the pudding. Jeff Corwin: The black-footed ferret only survives in this subterranean community of prairie dogs. Now do you just put it in the front? Chamois Anderssen: Just straight out like that. Yeah. Correct. And then you want to kind of cover it with the blanket and then we'll take a GPS reading. Jeff Corwin: Okay. So way point is saved. The trap is set. Jeff Corwin: This creature, for all intents and purposes, it was extinct. What happened? Chamois Anderssen: A dog named Shep on a ranch in Meeteetse, Wyoming found a dead black-footed ferret on the property and brought it home to its owners. That's how we realized it was no longer extinct. Jeff Corwin: But as irony would have it, soon after discovery, disease came and wiped out most of those surviving ferrets, didn't it? Chamois Anderssen: Yeah. Jeff Corwin: What caused this collapse, Chamois? Chamois Anderssen: It's Sylvatic plague. When we see these prairie dog towns start to decline because of plague, ferrets quickly blink out. So if we can keep plague at bay, ferrets are healthy again. Jeff Corwin: All right. My friends, an hour has passed. I'm going to check our trap. Look, furry, little body. The hatch is closed. We've got a ferret. All right. To the camper. Jeff Corwin: We take this precious ferret to our field station where biologist Jessica Alexander will collect vital data and administer a life saving vaccine. Jeff Corwin: All right. What's the plan, Jess? Jessica Alexander: So we're going to move this ferret into the induction chamber. Jeff Corwin: Okay. Jessica Alexander: So set it down right here so it's lined up with the front, the end of the trap. We've hit our character limit. Leave us a comment for the rest of the transcript.

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The 2023 Green Growth Summit will bring together high-level Member State representatives from the Green Growth Group, the EU institutions, and business. The Summit will mark the celebration of the

The 2023 Green Growth Summit will bring together high-level Member State representatives from the Green Growth Group, the EU institutions, and business. The Summit will mark the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Green Growth Partnership (GGP). The GGP is convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and provides a forum to promote positive exchange between progressive European governments and businesses, with regular involvement of like-minded parliamentarians, and other key stakeholders and opinion formers, determined to support the development of a climate neutral and prosperous Europe.  📌 Agenda: 13:15 – 14:00: Scene Setter for the 10-year anniversary of the GGP:  “A look back at 10 years of climate policy – Where does the EU go from there?” 14:00 – 15:30: Session 1: ‘‘Stepping stones towards 2040” 15:50 – 17:20: Session 2: “The Green Deal as compass for the EU’s future competitiveness” 17:20 – 17:45: Closing Session: Fireside chat: “Unpacking the international implications of EU policies and expectations for the COP” This hybrid event will take place both physically in Brussels and online. Don't miss the chance to engage with high-level representatives from the Green Growth Group of ministers, EU institutions, experts, and businesses as they discuss the past decade's achievements and chart a course for a climate-neutral and prosperous Europe. Speakers include: Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Austria (video message) Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, Third Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (video message) Uroš Vajgl, State Secretary for Environment and Climate, Slovenia Ambassador Barbara Cullinane, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU Ambassador Pierre Cartuyvels, Deputy Permanent Representative of Belgium to the EU Berthold Goeke, Representing Head of Climate Department, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Germany Kristi Klaas, Deputy Director General for the Green Transition, Ministry of Climate, Estonia Bas Eickhout, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance Christophe Grudler, MEP, Renew Europe Group Ville Niinistö, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance Kurt Vandenberghe, Director General, DG Climate Action, European Commission Simon Henzell-Thomas, Global Director Climate & Nature, Ingka Group (IKEA) Rafael Mateo Alcalá, CEO, ACCIONA Energía Megan Mitrevski Dale, Director, Environmental Sustainability, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs, Signify, and Chair, CLG Europe Dr. Kimmo Järvinen, Head of European Governmental Affairs, SSAB María Mendiluce, CEO, We Mean Business Coalition Dr. Laura Diaz Anadon, Chaired Professor of Climate Change Policy, University of Cambridge, & Vice-Chair, European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change Ursula Woodburn, Director, CLG Europe and the Green Growth Partnership The event will be moderated by Maria Tadeo, Europe correspondent, Bloomberg TV, and John Ainger, Climate and Energy Reporter, Bloomberg News.

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Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure through central Florida as he helps save threatened gopher tortoises from a new real estate development. Later, Jeff uncovers how gopher tortoises contribute to

Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure through central Florida as he helps save threatened gopher tortoises from a new real estate development. Later, Jeff uncovers how gopher tortoises contribute to Florida’s entire ecosystem by providing important habitat for many other species. To learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode, visit www.defenders.org/wildlifenation Video Transcript: Jeff Corwin: Our adventure begins in Central Florida, where an amazing species of reptile has lived for  millions of years. Jeff Corwin: So friends, right now, we're working with an incredible project, and it's all about rescuing these amazing creatures. This is the incredible, the iconic, gopher tortoise. Kent, I can't think of a more amazing symbol of old wild Florida than this, but today they're in serious trouble. Why are these tortoises disappearing? Kent Wimmer: Because of development pressures and land uses that don't protect their habitat. Jeff Corwin: In Florida, neighborhoods are popping up left and right. How many people move here every day? Kent Wimmer: 1,000 people a day. Jeff Corwin: To make room for people, means we lose habitat, and a species like this depends on a very specific type of habitat. Jeff Corwin: Gopher tortoises are expert diggers. Every year, they dig out several long tunnels deep underground, where they are protected from weather, fires, and predators.  And these master excavators play a critical role in Florida's entire ecosystem. Kent Wimmer: Gopher tortoises are one of nature's engineers. Over 360 species live in gopher tortoise burrows. They're one of the most important species we have in Florida. Jeff Corwin: We've got Kent from Defenders, and we have Carissa who is from Saving Florida's Gopher Tortoises. Carissa, these tunnels can go how many feet? Carissa Kent: In the center of the State, they'll go down to 25, 35 feet. They dig to the water table. Jeff Corwin: You're talking about 25 feet down. Carissa Kent: Correct. Jeff Corwin: I'm not talking length- Carissa Kent: Length. Jeff Corwin: ... just down. Carissa Kent: Just down. Jeff Corwin: This sandy type soil you find in Florida is ideal for tortoises. But, it's also ideal for homesteading,  real estate, and construction, isn't it? Carissa Kent: Correct. So the same places that tortoises want to live, humans want to live. So, there has to be a balance there somewhere. So we work on projects, unfortunately, that had an old permit system, where the developers are able to purchase a permit to bury them alive. Jeff Corwin: Under Florida regulations, many older gopher tortoise permits still allow developers to destroy their burrows and seal them underground beneath layers of concrete. And many other species that live in their burrows, can be routinely killed.   Jeff Corwin: This lot, which is home to gopher tortoises, is now going to be ripped up, torn down, and made room for a development, a neighborhood. That's where Carissa's group with partners like Defenders come in. We've come to this place, to get whatever tortoises are living here out of harm's way. Because if we don't, they'll be forever buried under a neighborhood of concrete. Carissa Kent: Correct. Jeff Corwin: All right. Shall we go save some tortoises? Carissa Kent: I'm ready. Kent Wimmer: Let's go. Jeff Corwin: Let's do it. Carissa Kent: Let's go. Carissa Kent: All right, found one guys. Kent Wimmer: Hey. Carissa Kent: All right. It's right here. Jeff Corwin: All right. Yep, I can see that. Kent Wimmer: Good job. Carissa Kent: Yeah, I see tracks and some nice little trails right there. So, we're hoping this is definitely  a gopher tortoise that's physically in here. Jeff Corwin: There could be dozen of critters down there, but there's only one way to find out, and we've  got some technology to do that, don't we Carissa? Carissa Kent: We sure do. Jeff Corwin: Carissa carefully feeds a small camera deep into the hole, to see if anyone is at home. Carissa: All right. It's curving to the left a little bit. And- Jeff Corwin: Look at that. A tortoise. Carissa Kent: There is our tortoise. Kent Wimmer: All right. Jeff Corwin: So, we've confirmed tortoise, what do we do? Carissa Kent: It's time to excavate. Jeff Corwin: All right, let's do it. Carissa Kent: All right, let's go. Kent Wimmer: All right. Jeff Corwin: In order to safely excavate the gopher tortoise, we rely on some heavy-duty industrial earth moving equipment to help clear away the top soil. Jeff Corwin: This is about being very, very gentle and approaching this hole as gingerly as possible, isn't it? Carissa Kent: Absolutely. Obviously, we're digging with very, very large machinery here, so our number one goal is not to hurt this tortoise. But we need this machine to get this tortoise out of the ground. So how we do that, is delicately. We've hit our character limit. Leave us a comment for the rest of the transcript.

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