Lawless Planet – Details, episodes & analysis
Podcast details
Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.


It’s not that hard to kill a planet. All it takes is a little drilling, some mining, a generous helping of pollution and voila! Earth over. When you take stock of what’s left, it starts to look like a crime scene: Decapitated mountains, poisoned rivers, oil-soaked pelicans, maybe a sun-bleached cow skull in a dried-up lake bed. The only thing missing is yellow caution tape. On each episode of Lawless Planet, host Zach Goldbaum reveals the scams, murders and cover-ups on the frontline of the climate crisis, and the life and death choices people are making to either protect our world – or destroy it.
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Recent rankings
Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.
Apple Podcasts
🇨🇦 Canada - history
06/05/2026#87🇨🇦 Canada - history
30/04/2026#94🇨🇦 Canada - history
29/04/2026#80🇨🇦 Canada - history
28/04/2026#89🇨🇦 Canada - history
08/04/2026#97🇨🇦 Canada - history
07/04/2026#91🇨🇦 Canada - history
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10/03/2026#95🇨🇦 Canada - history
25/02/2026#100🇨🇦 Canada - history
24/02/2026#76
Spotify
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Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
See all- https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter
1290 shares
- https://oeco.org.br/
57 shares
- https://www.democracynow.org/
20 shares
RSS feed quality and score
Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.
See allScore global : 79%
Publication history
Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.
The “Bomb Train” That Devastated an Ohio Town
Episode 2
lundi 28 juillet 2025 • Duration 39:59
Massive, poorly regulated trains carrying hazardous chemicals travel through American towns, cities and suburbs every day. It’s only a matter of time before one derails, with disastrous consequences. And on February 3, 2023, in the tight-knit community of East Palestine, Ohio, that’s exactly what happened.
Special thanks to:
Moms Clean Air Force (https://www.momscleanairforce.org/)
NTSB East Palestine investigation (https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20240930.aspx)
Misti Allison
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
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Coal, Con Men and a Kidnapping Scheme
Episode 1
lundi 28 juillet 2025 • Duration 48:29
When a Montana coal mine executive goes missing it exposes the dirty underbelly of one of America’s largest coal mines. Now, with the help of President Donald Trump, the mine is trying to expand – unless a group of cattle ranchers can stop them.
Special thanks to:
Northern Plains Resource Council (https://northernplains.org/)
Montana Environmental Information Center (https://meic.org/)
Earthjustice
Ellen Pfister
Clark Williams-Derry, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (https://ieefa.org/)
John Teeling, FBI Special Agent (retired)
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Introducing: Lawless Planet
lundi 21 juillet 2025 • Duration 02:37
Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube on July 28th! To listen ad-free, join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
It’s not that hard to kill a planet. All it takes is a little drilling, some mining, a generous helping of pollution and voila! Earth over. When you take stock of what’s left, it starts to look like a crime scene: Decapitated mountains, poisoned rivers, oil-soaked pelicans, maybe a sun-bleached cow skull in a dried-up lake bed. The only thing missing is yellow caution tape. On each episode of Lawless Planet, host Zach Goldbaum reveals the scams, murders and cover-ups on the frontline of the climate crisis, and the life and death choices people are making to either protect our world – or destroy it.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A Murder in the Amazon
Episode 3
lundi 4 août 2025 • Duration 49:47
In the 1980s, an unlikely champion for protecting the Amazon rainforest emerges: Chico Mendes, a rubber tapper and labor organizer from the remote Brazilian state of Acre. His shrewd tactics keep both cattle ranchers and big banks from clear-cutting the jungle. But his success also makes him a target.
Special thanks to:
Burning Season by Andrew Revkin
The World is Burning by Alex Shoumatoff
((o))eco (https://oeco.org.br/)
SUMAÚMA (https://sumauma.com/en/)
Gomercindo Rodrigues
Angela Mendes
Steve Schwartzman
Environmental Defense Fund
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Surveillance and Sabotage on the Dakota Access Pipeline
Episode 4
lundi 11 août 2025 • Duration 44:09
When activists Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya take drastic measures to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, they have no idea that a shadowy private security contractor called TigerSwan has them in its sights.
Special thanks to:
Alleen Brown and The Intercept (https://theintercept.com/2018/12/30/tigerswan-infiltrator-dakota-access-pipeline-standing-rock/)
You Strike A Match by Julia Shipley (https://grist.org/protest/dakota-access-pipeline-activists-property-destruction/)
Democracy Now (https://www.democracynow.org/)
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Activist Who Defied Nigeria’s Oil Dictatorship
Episode 5
lundi 18 août 2025 • Duration 47:22
For decades, oil companies like Shell operated with impunity in the Niger River Delta, supported by a string of dictators. Then, an Ogoni activist named Ken Saro-Wiwa became the David to Shell’s Goliath – until Nigerian authorities framed him for murder.
Special thanks to:
Where Vultures Feast by Ike Okonta and Oronto Douglas
The Politics of Bones by J. Timothy Hunt
Amnesty International
Owens Wiwa
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Operation Wasteland
Episode 7
lundi 1 septembre 2025 • Duration 42:52
For nearly 40 years, New York’s private waste removal industry was the domain of the mob, until an undercover cop risked everything to take it down. The gripping tale of what happened next also raises the question: are we any better off without the mafia taking out the trash?
Special thanks to:
Anthony Vitale
Rick Cowan and Douglas Century, co-authors of The Takedown
Chris Grosso
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A Polygamist Cult-Leader’s Billion-Dollar Biofuel Scam
Episode 6
lundi 25 août 2025 • Duration 49:20
The biggest biofuel scam in U.S. history was committed by the unlikeliest of duos — a polygamist cult-leader and an Armenian mobster. They took one look at our convoluted system of climate regulations, tax codes, and energy incentives and saw nothing but dollar signs.
Special thanks to:
Jeff Manuel, author of Ethanol: A Hemispheric History for the Future of Biofuels
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A Gorilla Massacre in Africa's Oldest National Park
Episode 8
lundi 8 septembre 2025 • Duration 39:53
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a massacre of gorillas in Virunga National Park highlights the constant threat of violence from militias, poachers and gangsters. All that stands in their way is a small army of park rangers, hundreds of whom have been killed while on duty. And soon, they’ll face a new threat: an oil company that wants to drill under the park’s lake.
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Green Tech Savior That Fooled Wall Street
Episode 9
lundi 15 septembre 2025 • Duration 39:14
The urgency of solving the climate crisis makes finding a quick fix very tempting. So a few years ago when Nikola CEO Trevor Milton unveiled a hydrogen-powered truck that only emitted water, companies like General Motors bet big on its future. Then a whistleblower came forward and it all fell apart.
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Don't miss a single explosive revelation. The investigation begins now. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/lawless-planet/ now.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.









