Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world. But not all oil is created equal. Most of Venezuela's oil is thick, extra heavy crude, which is difficult, costly and immensely emissions-intensive to process. Despite this, Trump is keen to get Venezuela's oil. But US oil companies are much less excited.
#PlanetA #Venezuela #Trump
Credits:
Reporter: Adam Baheej Adada
Additional research: Amanda Coulson-Drasner
Supervising Editors: Malte Rohwer-Kahlmann, Kiyo Dörrer
Video editor: Adam Baheej Adada
Factcheck: Kirsten Funck
Thumbnail: Em Chabridon
Chapters:
00:00 The world's largest deposit
00:32 Venezuela's love story with oil
02:30 Not all oil is created equal
05:08 Why this oil is the worst
07:27 Was any of this a good idea?
08:56 Future potential
Read more:
bakerinstitute.org/research/venezuelas-oil-mythologies-have-hindered-its-development
rmi.org/venezuelas-oil-future-is-murky-but-its-production-emissions-are-all-too-clear
planete-energies.com/en/media/article/what-unconventional-oil-and-gas
investopedia.com/why-venezuela-can-t-pump-its-oil-despite-world-s-largest-reserves-11885848
nostandardoil.com
We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. We'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.
Follow Planet A on TikTok: tiktok.com/@dw_planet
Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world. But not all oil is created equal. Most of Venezuela's oil is thick, extra heavy crude, which is difficult, costly and immensely emissions-intensive to process. Despite this, Trump is keen to get Venezuela's oil. But US oil companies are much less excited.
#PlanetA #Venezuela #Trump
Credits:
Reporter: Adam Baheej Adada
Additional research: Amanda Coulson-Drasner
Supervising Editors: Malte Rohwer-Kahlmann, Kiyo Dörrer
Video editor: Adam Baheej Adada
Factcheck: Kirsten Funck
Thumbnail: Em Chabridon
Chapters:
00:00 The world's largest deposit
00:32 Venezuela's love story with oil
02:30 Not all oil is created equal
05:08 Why this oil is the worst
07:27 Was any of this a good idea?
08:56 Future potential
Read more:
bakerinstitute.org/research/venezuelas-oil-mythologies-have-hindered-its-development
rmi.org/venezuelas-oil-future-is-murky-but-its-production-emissions-are-all-too-clear
planete-energies.com/en/media/article/what-unconventional-oil-and-gas
investopedia.com/why-venezuela-can-t-pump-its-oil-despite-world-s-largest-reserves-11885848
nostandardoil.com
We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. We'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.
Follow Planet A on TikTok: tiktok.com/@dw_planet
