Ep 24. VICE 78

"Dirty Oil" - Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, but the billions of dollars generated from that resource have not trickled down to the majority of the population. This disparity has led to rampant oil theft and large scale attacks on oil infrastructure by locals, who vow to continue this fight until the government allows them to profit through oil jobs and urban development. For a time, the government listened to this plea and paid these militants through an amnesty program which curbed the violence. But in 2016, a new administration terminated those contracts and suspended the payouts, leading to a violent resurgence of militancy and oil theft. VICE correspondent Gianna Toboni heads to the heart of Nigeria's oil production to witness firsthand the fight of the Niger Delta youth. "Rebuilding Our Reefs" - In the last 30 years the world has lost 50% of its coral reefs, and there's a consensus among marine biologists that climate change will continue to make things worse. Coral reefs are the foundation of some of the most productive ecosystems on earth--providing food, resources, and coastal protection for more than 500 million people. If nothing is done to stop their deterioration, more than 90% of the world's reefs could be gone by 2050. Ben Anderson traveled across the world's oceans to see what a few small teams of scientists are doing to keep these vital structures alive.