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How Venezuela’s Heavy Crude Shapes Climate Risks

How Venezuela’s Heavy Crude Shapes Climate Risks

60-Second Science vor 8 Monaten

A break down of why Venezuela’s oil boom is clashing with a hotter, more fragile planet

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18:34

In this episode, we dive into the climate stakes behind Venezuela’s
vast but troubled oil reserves and the country’s mounting tensions
with neighboring Guyana. Climate reporter Amy Westervelt breaks
down why the region’s heavy crude oil, aging infrastructure and
escalating border dispute are colliding with the reality of a
rapidly warming planet—and what rising seas, oil expansion and
fragile ecosystems mean for millions of people across the
Caribbean. Recommended Reading: “The U.S.-Venezuela-Guyana Oil
Triangle,” by Amy Westervelt, in Drilled. Published online January
4, 2026 Why Does Venezuela Have So Much Oil? Geology E-mail us at
sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or
ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday:
subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for our daily
newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis,
Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was
edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and
Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
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