Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Paris Olympics, the CCZ

Given everything going on in France right now, it was no surprise that Last Week Tonight with John Oliver would focus on it. Yet, we anticipated something more related to the politics of the country than a full segment about the Olympics.

Yet, this is what we got at the start of the episode, mostly because of the fact that there are a lot of issues happening around the Games. Take, for example, people claiming they would do unspeakable things in the Seine in response to the Mayor saying it was safe for people to swim there. The Olympics cost a ton of money, as well — hence, why Oliver has looked at them in the past when they are set in other places.

As per usual, though, the host did not spend too much time on super-current events — instead, we transitioned over to the main segment of the night. It was a radical transition over to the ocean; or, to be specific, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone a.k.a the CCZ. It is one of the few parts of the world where there is still a great deal of mystery. There are thousands of potential species, for example, that could remain undiscovered.

From a scientific standpoint, this part of the world is innately fascinating. However, at the same time this segment was not just about biology. Instead, it was about a company trying to execute a deep-sea mining company that could alter the entire course of biodiversity in the region.

In a way, this entire segment felt like an Avatar movie where we were being told about the dangers of altering an environment … but do we listen? This was a really informative segment where we learned a lot about the governance of international waters, how small countries are getting involved, and how Nauru in particular finds itself front and center of a lot of it.

What did you think about the June 9 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver?

Share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, remember to keep coming back for some other updates.