Burned: The Price of Oil

“I believe my voice makes a difference” - Tina Eonemto Stege on climate commitments and keeping 1.5°C alive

In this episode of Burned: The Price of Oil, host Shady Khalil speaks with Tina Eonemto Stege, Climate Envoy for the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Tina reflects on the United Nations climate talks in Belém, Brazil, from the hard fights to the fragile breakthroughs of the COP30 climate negotiations. Tina unpacks the call at COP30 led by vulnerable countries who demand a clear, equitable roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels - an example of taking creative action to get past powerful blockers determined to delay and dilute progress. She also explores one of the key wins from COP30: the long-overdue recognition that adaptation finance must be treated with the same urgency and weight as mitigation for communities already living with loss, damage, and escalating climate impacts. At a moment when international climate talks are strained by fossil fuel interests, this episode offers a rare look at how principled leadership and collective action can still bend the arc toward justice. Host: Shady Khalil, Oil Change International Guest: Tina Eonemto Stege, Climate Envoy, Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. About Tina Eonemto Stege: Tina Eonemto Stege is the Climate Envoy for the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and International Liaison for the Marshallese Educational Initiative. She brings lived Pacific experience to her work on climate justice, migration, and sustainable development. In all her work, Tina aims to support and strengthen island communities by promoting informed and sustainable choices in all areas and by all members of the community. Links: * Oil Change International [https://www.oilchange.org/] * Follow @PriceofOil on X and Instagram * Follow @EnvoyRmi on X * (00:00) - Introduction to Climate Action and Leadership * (04:48) - Reflections on COP30 Outcomes * (09:55) - The Press Conference Moment * (15:05) - Navigating Pacific Diplomacy * (20:06) - Barriers to Just Transition * (25:00) - The Role of Adaptation Finance * (30:03) - Hope and Resilience in Climate Advocacy

“We are fighting for a life of dignity for our people” — Dipti Bhatnagar on Empire, Resistance to Fossil Fuel Companies, and Just Futures

In this episode of Burned: The Price of Oil, host Shady Khalil speaks with Dipti Bhatnagar, climate justice organizer with Justiça Ambiental (Friends of the Earth Mozambique) and Executive Committee member of Friends of the Earth International. Dipti shares her 25-year journey organizing across India, the U.S., and Mozambique, connecting struggles from anti-dam movements to anti-colonial resistance, rooted in a vision of collective care, dignity, and justice. Together, they expose the reality of the TotalEnergies LNG megaproject in northern Mozambique, a carbon bomb linked to militarization and human rights abuses. Dipti outlines how fossil fuel corporations use debt traps, legal threats, and state violence to entrench their power in Global South countries, all while claiming to “develop” them. This episode goes beyond the fossil fuel industry, into empire, patriarchy, global governance, and the colonial legacy of the so-called “green transition.” From Cabo Delgado to the UN climate talks, Dipti and Shady break down why fossil fuel companies can’t be trusted with the future, and how women, youth, and communities continue to organize for the world we deserve. Host: Shady Khalil, Oil Change International Guest: Dipti Bhatnagar, Justiça Ambiental/Friends of the Earth Mozambique About Dipti Bhatnagar: Dipti is an activist, systems thinker and movement builder with an innate sense of justice, and is rooted in three continents with more than two decades of experience fighting corporate power, fossil fuel colonialism, and unjust global governance. She lives in Maputo, Mozambique with her partner who she met while campaigning against dams, and her work spans grassroots organizing, international advocacy, and visionary movement building rooted in dignity, care, and resistance. Links: * Oil Change International [https://www.oilchange.org/] * Follow @PriceofOil [https://x.com/PriceofOil] on X and Instagram * Learn more about Justiça Ambiental/Friends of the Earth Mozambique @JA4change on X and Instagram  * Follow Dipti’s work via Friends of the Earth International [https://www.foei.org/] and Justiça Ambiental [https://ja4change.org/] * (00:00) - Introduction to Environmental Justice and Activism * (03:12) - Personal Journey into Activism * (06:07) - The Mozambique Gas Project and Its Impacts * (09:00) - Colonial Dynamics and Resource Exploitation * (12:02) - Community Resistance and Local Governance * (15:04) - The Role of Women and Youth in Activism * (17:58) - Reimagining Democracy and Governance * (21:12) - Global Governance Systems and Their Failures * (23:58) - Corporate Power and the Fossil Fuel Industry * (27:06) - Hope and Collective Action for Change

“We need a globally just transition” – Dr. Amiera Sawas on Climate Colonialism and Global Justice

In this episode of Burned: The Price of Oil, host Shady Khalil speaks with Dr. Amiera Sawas, Head of Research and Policy at the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Amiera draws on her decades of experience working at the intersection of climate change, gender justice, and decolonial movements to expose the structural injustices fueling the climate crisis, and the feminist, global majority-led solutions forging the path ahead. From her personal journey navigating racism, class, and colonial legacy in the UK to helping reshape global climate diplomacy, Amiera breaks down how fossil fuels are bound to systems of patriarchy, extractivism, and global debt. She discusses why just transition efforts must go beyond technical solutions to confront the root causes of climate and economic injustice and how feminist leadership, indigenous knowledge, and global cooperation are essential to building a just future. Together, Shady and Amiera explore the potential of the Fossil Fuel Treaty, the links between petromasculinity and authoritarianism, and how upcoming global moments, like Colombia’s 2026 diplomatic conference, could change the landscape of climate justice. Host: Shady Khalil, Oil Change International Guest: Dr. Amiera Sawas, Head of Research and Policy, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative About Dr. Amiera Sawas: Dr. Amiera Sawas is a feminist researcher and advocate who works at the intersections of climate change, gender justice, public participation and the social contract. Amiera has almost 20 years experience working on these issues across academia, the private sector, think tanks and NGOs. As a person of both Syrian and Irish heritage, with close links to Pakistan, she has lived life with an acute awareness of the impacts of colonial histories and believes passionately in the need to decolonize. Links: Oil Change International [https://www.oilchange.org/] Follow @Priceofoil and @fossiltreaty on X Follow @PriceOfOil and @fossilfueltreaty on Instagram Learn more about the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty [https://fossilfueltreaty.org/]  * (00:00) - Introduction to Climate Justice and Personal Journey * (06:11) - Understanding Just Transition and Decolonization * (12:55) - The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty * (18:57) - Green Colonialism and Its Impacts * (23:00) - Petromasculinity and Gender Dynamics in Climate Action * (30:29) - Knowledge, Representation, and Feminist Solutions

"Reparations, not investments” — Shereen Talaat on climate debt, reparations and public finance

In the second episode of Burned: The Price of Oil, host Shady Khalil speaks with Shereen Talaat, Founder and Director of MENA Fem Movement. They explore the global financial system’s deep colonial roots - and how private-finance-first approaches to the energy transition trap Global South countries in more debt and fossil fuel dependence.  Shereen shares how private finance seeks profit, not justice, and that only public finance, reparations, and debt cancellation can deliver a truly just transition. Speaking from the perspective of the global majority, communities across the Global South who did the least to cause the climate crisis - not the billionaire 1% minority - she calls for climate and colonial reparations to repair centuries of extractivism and exploitation. Together, Shereen and Shady unpack how the structures of debt and global financial architecture are the new face of colonialism, and how the rich countries are withholding the trillions in public finance they can actually mobilise to pay for a fair and funded fossil fuel phaseout. But this isn't the end of the story. Across the Global South and beyond, communities are organizing and resisting and won’t let the polluters or profiteers get away with it. Host: Shady Khalil, Oil Change International [https://www.oilchange.org/]Guest: Shereen Talaat, Founder and Director, MENA Fem Movement [https://menafemmovement.org/] About Shereen Talaat: A lifelong activist from Egypt, Shereen Talaat is a passionate advocate with over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of social justice, economic development, and environmental rights. About Oil Change International: Oil Change International is a research, communications, and advocacy organization working to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate the ongoing transition to clean energy. Links: Oil Change International [https://www.oilchange.org/]Follow @Priceofoil [https://x.com/PriceofOil] and @MenaFem [https://x.com/MenaFem] on X Follow @PriceOfOil [https://www.instagram.com/priceofoil/] Instagram Learn more about MENA Fem Movement [https://menafemmovement.org/] * (00:00) - Introduction to the Movement and Guests * (00:55) - Shereen's Activism Journey and Artistic Influence * (05:02) - The Birth of MENA FEM Movement * (08:07) - The Intersection of Feminism and Climate Justice * (09:03) - Understanding Climate Debt and Reparations * (13:11) - Reflections on COP Outcomes and Global Finance * (17:52) - The Role of Private Finance in Climate Solutions * (22:08) - The Flaws of Global Financial Architecture * (28:10) - Debt as a Tool of Control * (31:03) - Hope and Resistance in Activism

"It's about people, not carbon" — Tasneem Essop on Climate Justice

In the debut episode of Burned: The Price of Oil, host Shady Khalil speaks with Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of the Climate Action Network, to explore what it  means to fight for justice in the era of climate crisis. From her roots as an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa to leading one of the world’s largest climate coalitions, Tasneem shares how decades of organizing, persistence, and people power reshape the global conversation on fossil fuels and justice. As the world faces a widening gap between climate commitments and Global North countries driving oil and gas expansion, Tasneem and Shady unpack how the Global South can chart a path beyond fossil fuels. Together, they discuss the meaning of a truly just transition, lessons from the UN climate talk’s breakthrough on fossil fuels, and how people power is building a just transition. Host: Shady Khalil, Oil Change International [https://www.oilchange.org/]Guest: Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network International [https://climatenetwork.org/] About Tasneem Essop: A lifelong activist from South Africa, Tasneem began her journey during the anti-apartheid struggle, later serving as a provincial minister and global environmental advocate. Her leadership continues to bridge the fight for climate justice with broader struggles for equity and liberation, from the streets of District Six in Cape Town, to Palestine, and the halls of the UN climate talks. Links: Oil Change International [https://www.oilchange.org/]Follow @Priceofoil [https://x.com/PriceofOil] and @TasneemEssop [https://twitter.com/TasneemEssop] on X Follow @PriceOfOil [https://www.instagram.com/priceofoil/] and @CAN.international [https://www.instagram.com/can.international/] on Instagram Learn more about Climate Action Network [https://climatenetwork.org/] * (00:00) - Introduction to the Podcast and Its Mission * (01:05) - Tasneem's Activism Journey: From Anti-Apartheid to Climate Justice * (06:01) - The Evolution of Climate Action Network (CAN) * (12:26) - Reflections on COP28: Achievements and Challenges * (20:13) - Power Dynamics in Climate Negotiations * (25:40) - Understanding Climate Debt and Financial Responsibilities * (30:56) - The Intersection of Justice and Climate Action * (36:16) - Connecting Climate Justice with Global Injustices