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“If people could actually see what I see through my lens, there would never have been a fracking boom.”

Sharon Wilson, Earthworks Senior Field Advocate

Sharon Wilson is a 5th generation Texan who is a one of five certified optical gas imaging thermographers at Earthworks, traveling across the United States to make the invisible methane pollution from oil and gas facilities visible.

She was recently featured in Frontline’s The Power of Big Oil: Part 3 on PBS, where they joined her as she documents the severity of the industry’s methane releases that are accelerating the existential climate emergency.

Watch Earthworks in "The Power of Big Oil: Part 3"

In a three-part series, FRONTLINE investigates the failure to confront the threat of climate change and the role of the fossil fuel industry. Earthworks’ Sharon Wilson was featured in Part 3, showing them how she documents invisible methane pollution to move decision makers to action.

“My message to whomever rides along during these investigations is simple: oil and gas destroys lives, specifically in already marginalized communities, and any new fossil development will downright ruin any chance we have to avoid climate catastrophe.”

About Our Work

Our field team captures proof that the fossil fuel industry is knowingly delaying action on the climate crisis by convincing politicians, regulators, lawmakers, and financiers to turn a blind eye to international warnings that any new fossil developments will destroy any chance of avoiding a catastrophic climate breakdown.

We work alongside community members and activists fighting to protect not only our climate, but also their own communities, from health-harming pollution and historic injustices. We demand that our clean energy future not be built on dirty mining for critical minerals. And, we believe that together we can forge an energy transition toward a more just and equitable future for all.