Crude Behavior: Venezuela and the Global Politics of Oil
Fri Feb 06 2026
On January 3, U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and flew them to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking and narco-terrorisim. At the same time, President Trump has not been shy about stating his other motivation for intervening in the country: Back in December, he said, “We had a lot of oil there. As you know they threw our companies out, and we want it back." So what are the geopolitical ramifications of these actions? And in a world increasingly powered by renewable energy, could fossil-fueled conflicts become a thing of the past?
Episode Guests:
Luisa Palacios, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University
Amy Myers Jaffe, Director, Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab, NYU
Bill McKibben, Founder, Third Act and 350.org
For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit climateone.org/podcasts.
Highlights:
00:00 Intro
04:54 Luisa Palacios on growing up in Venezuela
08:59 Luisa Palacios on the risks in Venezuela's oil industry
15:15 Luisa Palacios on the climate impact of increasing Venezuela’s oil output
18:01 Amy Myers Jaffe on her reaction to the Maduro’s forced removal
21:08 Amy Myers Jaffe on what the military action is really about
28:32 Amy Myers Jaffe on the importance of the action in Venezuela
35:21 Amy Myers Jaffe on the national security aspects of clean tech
38:39 Bill McKibben on the military action in Venezuela
49:45 Bill McKibben on the “last gasp’ of the fossil fuel industry
52:26 Bill McKibben on the US reversal on climate policy and clean tech
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On January 3, U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, and flew them to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking and narco-terrorisim. At the same time, President Trump has not been shy about stating his other motivation for intervening in the country: Back in December, he said, “We had a lot of oil there. As you know they threw our companies out, and we want it back." So what are the geopolitical ramifications of these actions? And in a world increasingly powered by renewable energy, could fossil-fueled conflicts become a thing of the past? Episode Guests: Luisa Palacios, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University Amy Myers Jaffe, Director, Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab, NYU Bill McKibben, Founder, Third Act and 350.org For show notes, transcript, and related links, visit climateone.org/podcasts. Highlights: 00:00 Intro 04:54 Luisa Palacios on growing up in Venezuela 08:59 Luisa Palacios on the risks in Venezuela's oil industry 15:15 Luisa Palacios on the climate impact of increasing Venezuela’s oil output 18:01 Amy Myers Jaffe on her reaction to the Maduro’s forced removal 21:08 Amy Myers Jaffe on what the military action is really about 28:32 Amy Myers Jaffe on the importance of the action in Venezuela 35:21 Amy Myers Jaffe on the national security aspects of clean tech 38:39 Bill McKibben on the military action in Venezuela 49:45 Bill McKibben on the “last gasp’ of the fossil fuel industry 52:26 Bill McKibben on the US reversal on climate policy and clean tech ********** Support Climate One by going ad-free! By subscribing to Climate One on Patreon, you’ll receive exclusive access to all future episodes free of ads, opportunities to connect with fellow Climate One listeners, and access to the Climate One Discord. Sign up today at patreon.com/ClimateOne. Ad sales by Multitude. Contact them for ad inquiries at multitude.productions/ads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices