In the second episode of Burned: The Price of Oil, host Shady Khalil speaks with Shereen Talaat, Founder and Director of MENA Fem Movement. They explore the global financial system’s deep colonial roots - and how private-finance-first approaches to the energy transition trap Global South countries in more debt and fossil fuel dependence.
Shereen shares how private finance seeks profit, not justice, and that only public finance, reparations, and debt cancellation can deliver a truly just transition. Speaking from the perspective of the global majority, communities across the Global South who did the least to cause the climate crisis - not the billionaire 1% minority - she calls for climate and colonial reparations to repair centuries of extractivism and exploitation.
Together, Shereen and Shady unpack how the structures of debt and global financial architecture are the new face of colonialism, and how the rich countries are withholding the trillions in public finance they can actually mobilise to pay for a fair and funded fossil fuel phaseout. But this isn't the end of the story. Across the Global South and beyond, communities are organizing and resisting and won’t let the polluters or profiteers get away with it.
Host: Shady Khalil, Oil Change International
Guest: Shereen Talaat, Founder and Director, MENA Fem Movement
About Shereen Talaat:
A lifelong activist from Egypt, Shereen Talaat is a passionate advocate with over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of social justice, economic development, and environmental rights.
About Oil Change International:
Oil Change International is a research, communications, and advocacy organization working to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate the ongoing transition to clean energy.
Links:
Oil Change International
Follow @Priceofoil and @MenaFem on X
Follow @PriceOfOil Instagram
Learn more about MENA Fem Movement
In the debut episode of Burned: The Price of Oil, host Shady Khalil speaks with Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of the Climate Action Network, to explore what it means to fight for justice in the era of climate crisis. From her roots as an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa to leading one of the world’s largest climate coalitions, Tasneem shares how decades of organizing, persistence, and people power reshape the global conversation on fossil fuels and justice.
As the world faces a widening gap between climate commitments and Global North countries driving oil and gas expansion, Tasneem and Shady unpack how the Global South can chart a path beyond fossil fuels. Together, they discuss the meaning of a truly just transition, lessons from the UN climate talk’s breakthrough on fossil fuels, and how people power is building a just transition.
Host: Shady Khalil, Oil Change International
Guest: Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network International
About Tasneem Essop:
A lifelong activist from South Africa, Tasneem began her journey during the anti-apartheid struggle, later serving as a provincial minister and global environmental advocate. Her leadership continues to bridge the fight for climate justice with broader struggles for equity and liberation, from the streets of District Six in Cape Town, to Palestine, and the halls of the UN climate talks.
Links:
Oil Change International
Follow @Priceofoil and @TasneemEssop on X
Follow @PriceOfOil and @CAN.international on Instagram
Learn more about Climate Action Network