When petroleum did (not) save the whales

In this episode, we'll visit one of environmental history's most interesting stories: when the discovery of kerosene "rescued" whale populations from the brink of extinction. The truth is messier, more instructive, and far more relevant to the sustainability debates we're having right now.
From the lamp-lit streets of 1840s Boston to the factory ships of the 20th century, we follow the full arc of the whaling era — what actually drove it, what actually ended it, and why the popular version of events is way deeper than it looks.