Episode #286 Amy Westervelt: Think Tanks, Greenwashing, + The War On Reality

Amy Westervelt pulls back the curtain on the machinery that has helped powerful industries shape public understanding for more than a century. From early corporate PR to modern think tanks, greenwashing campaigns, captured university research, and strategic legal influence, she shows how the information ecosystem itself has been bent in service of fossil fuel profits. What emerges is not just a story about big oil, but a broader warning about how policy is shaped long before laws are written, often through institutions that present themselves as neutral, expert, or benevolent.

Our interview with Amy Westervelt has been edited and condensed for clarity.