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Monday

The two sides of Guyana: a green champion and an oil producer

Sea levels in Guyana are rising several times faster than the global average. High tides sometimes spill over the seawall that is meant to protect the coastline. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

Short Wave

The two sides of Guyana: a green champion and an oil producer

For Guyana the potential wealth from oil development was irresistible — even as the country faces rising seas. Today on the show, host Emily Kwong talks to reporter Camila Domonoske about her 2021 trip to Guyana and how the country is grappling with its role as a victim of climate change while it moves forward with drilling more oil. (encore)

The two sides of Guyana: a green champion and an oil producer

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Wednesday

Why oil in Guyana could be a curse

As Guyana seeks to ramp up oil production, it opened bids on September 12, 2023 for several oil blocks available for exploration and development. Matias Delacroix/AP hide caption

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Matias Delacroix/AP

The Indicator from Planet Money

Why oil in Guyana could be a curse

In 2015, Guyana changed forever when ExxonMobil discovered major oil deposits off its coast. The impoverished South American country known for its thick rainforest was suddenly on course to sudden wealth.

Why oil in Guyana could be a curse

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Thursday

Venezuela plans military exercises in Caribbean as a British warship heads to Guyana

A man sells phone cables in front of a mural of the Venezuelan map with the Essequibo territory included in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 11. Matias Delacroix/AP hide caption

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Matias Delacroix/AP

The Americas

Venezuela plans military exercises in Caribbean as a British warship heads to Guyana

Venezuela and Guyana are currently involved in a border dispute over a sparsely populated region the size of Florida with vast oil deposits off its shores.

Sunday

Venezuelans approve referendum to claim territory in neighboring Guyana

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro leaves after giving a speech during the closing campaign on Venezuela Referendum on dispute territory with Guyana in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Matias Delacroix/AP hide caption

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Matias Delacroix/AP

The Americas

Venezuelans approve referendum to claim territory in neighboring Guyana

The 61,600-square-mile territory accounts for two-thirds of Guyana and borders Brazil, which says it has "intensified its defense actions" and boosted its military presence because of the dispute.

Friday

Two Sides Of Guyana: A Green Champion And An Oil Producer

Sea levels in Guyana are rising several times faster than the global average. High tides sometimes spill over the seawall that is meant to protect the coastline. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

Short Wave

Two Sides Of Guyana: A Green Champion And An Oil Producer

For Guyana the potential wealth from oil development was irresistible — even as the country faces rising seas. Today on the show, Emily Kwong talks to reporter Camila Domonoske about her trip to Guyana and how it's grappling with its role as a victim of climate change while it moves forward with drilling more oil.

Two Sides Of Guyana: A Green Champion And An Oil Producer

Listen · 15:14
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Sunday

Guyana is a poor country that was a green champion. Then Exxon discovered oil

A seawall stretches for hundreds of miles along the coast of Guyana, in northern South America. It protects the low-lying coastal lands where the majority of Guyana's population lives. The region is acutely threatened by rising sea levels, as well as other symptoms of climate change, yet Guyana is embracing the oil industry. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

The COP26 summit

Guyana is a poor country that was a green champion. Then Exxon discovered oil

Guyana, one of South America's poorest countries, is under severe threat by rising seas. That had made it a champion of climate action, but it all changed when ExxonMobil found oil off its waters.

Guyana is a poor country that was a green champion. Then Exxon discovered oil

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Tuesday

With $100 And A Lot Of Moxie, She's Made Her Mark In Animation

Jubilante Cutting, left, the founder of Guyana Animation Network, stands with a student from Marian Academy in Georgetown, Guyana. Last year, Cutting launched a project to help high school girls explore careers in digital media and animation. Joseph Allen hide caption

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Joseph Allen

Goats and Soda

With $100 And A Lot Of Moxie, She's Made Her Mark In Animation

Using birthday money and some donations, 19-year-old Jubilanté Cutting started a nonprofit to get animation training for young people in Guyana. Her efforts have won her an 'Innovation Award.'

Saturday

A Remote Town, A Closed-Off Courtroom, And A Father Facing Deportation
Isabel Seliger for NPR

Law

A Remote Town, A Closed-Off Courtroom, And A Father Facing Deportation

After conviction, noncitizens face deportation in a second system of justice that has different rules and fewer protections. NPR followed one man — and his family — through the process.

A Remote Town, A Closed-Off Courtroom, And A Father Facing Deportation

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Wednesday

Guyanese Christmas Gives A Whole New Meaning To Slow Food

Pepperpot, a traditional Guyanese Christmas dish, is basically a stew of aromatics and tough meat parts like shanks, trotters and tails that benefit from a long cooking. Courtesy of Cynthia Nelson Photography hide caption

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Courtesy of Cynthia Nelson Photography

The Salt

Guyanese Christmas Gives A Whole New Meaning To Slow Food

Two classic Christmas dishes beloved by the people of Guyana are pepperpot and garlic pork. To get the flavors just right, you have to cook them and let them sit out for weeks.