Hello and welcome back to Drilled. I'm Amy Westervelt. I am super excited to be bringing you a new

miniseries over the next few weeks. It's called The Black Thread. It's about Norway's complicated

relationship with its identity as both a progressive leader and an oil

stage.

It's coming at you from the host of the communicating climate change podcast, Dickin Bonvik-Stone,

and it was created in collaboration with the Norwegian nonprofit Klima culture.

This is the Black Thread episode one.

I hope you enjoy it.

Norway, a country whose name conjures images of fairy tale fjords, mighty mountains, and northern lights,

a place known for its great adventurers, its sagas about Thor and the Vikings, and its cultural treasures,

like paintings by Monk, plays by Ibsen, and music like this by Greek.

A beautiful soundtrack for a nation famous for its natural wonders, clean energy, electric vehicles, and wealth.

So much wealth, invested in its citizens' well-being, happiness and positive impact

on the world. Today, Norway tops all kinds of global rankings for life quality, happiness,

democracy, political participation, press freedom, and more. In fact, it's hard to imagine a more perfect utopia.

And yet, Norway remains a country curiously at odds with its international reputation and

indeed with its own identity. Despite being legally committed to global climate goals,

acknowledging the risk of climate change impact within its borders,

and maintaining a self-image as a responsible, nature-loving nation

and a champion of human rights,

Norway continues to drill for oil.

In 2025 alone, the Norwegian state's earnings from its petroleum industry

...