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The schoolgirl who fought an oil company and won

When Nalleli Cobo and her neighbours started getting ill suspicion fell on an oil well next to their homes in Los Angeles

Los Angeles sunshine beats down on Hollywood and more surprisingly America's largest urban oil field. At the age of nine Nalleli Cobo started campaigning to close down an oil well next to her home in LA, after suffering nosebleeds, headaches, stomach cramps and body spasms. Nalleli's neighbours experienced similar symptoms too, and they believed it was related to an oil facility that had ramped up production. Four years later it ceased operations, but Nalleli's fight hasn't stopped there. She set up community action group STAND-L.A. to fight urban oil drilling across the city and has helped shape local policy on the issue. Nalleli recently won a Goldman Environmental Prize for her work.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Deiniol Buxton

(Photo: Nalleli Cobo speaks during Jane Fonda's Fire Drill Friday at Los Angeles City Hall in February 2020. Credit: Rachel Luna/ Getty Images)

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41 minutes

Last on

Wed 29 Jun 2022 02:06GMT

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  • Tue 28 Jun 2022 11:06GMT
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