Ali Hussein Julood, a young leukaemia survivor living on an Iraqi oil field, is far removed from the world leaders makingclimate pledges at COP. Ali helped us to expose the truth about the poisonous air the local community has to breathe.
I learned that gas flaring is a common practice in Iraq's oil fields after seeing videos of black smoke and burning skies over people's houses.
Satellite data shows that the world's worst offenders for gas flaring are in Iraq.
Dozens of people living in five different communities near oil fields told the same story, that they had a close relative or friend who was suffering from cancer.
The father of Ali sold everything in his house to raise money for his son's cancer treatment in Turkey. The cancer hospital in Basra was full of people like Ali who lived nearby oil fields. Locals call it the shadow town because it is cut off and lacks basic services. Ali calls it the cemetery.
Ali told us that we would have to run inside because of the clouds of smoke suffocating us and oil raining from the sky.
The doctor told me that was the main reason for my illness.
There were no studies on cancer rates in these areas. The Iraqi government was suppressing data on cancer rates in Basra, which was three times higher than official records claimed.
We were able to see what life was like in the videos people sent us, but we were not allowed to film for ourselves. At least five times, our official requests were turned down, and the oil field is guarded by several checkpoint. The area is guarded by the Iraqi oil police and private security firms. The militias that control Iraqi politics in the south are making money from the oil operations on their doorstep.
We had only one option left, and that was to go undercover.
The impact of the oil giants' toxic air pollution on children and the planet is revealed in an Arabic investigation.
We were going to film an experiment to monitor the pollution ourselves. Before we went on the roof, we practiced. We were told by the experts to use small brass cylinders with a filter inside that absorbs pollutants.
We worked with one of the region's only environmental scientists, Prof Shukri Al-Hassan, to carry out tests over a two week period in communities near four oil fields. Children's urine samples were taken to see if there were any toxins linked to gas flaring exposure.
All of the children we tested had high levels of metabolised naphthalene in their urine. The air pollution monitoring found that benzene levels were three times higher than the national limit, and in all places it was much higher than the safe level.
After the film was released, Iraq's Oil Minister pledged to eliminate flaring from the field by the year 2026. He made a statement on his last day in office and previous targets to eliminate flaring have been missed.
Who is accountable for phasing out flaring is not clear. The oil field is owned by the Iraqi government, but is managed by the partners. The oil minister said that it was the responsibility of the company to reduce the amount of flaring. The obligation lies with the operator of the oil field, according to the company.
A number of people from the oil company have told us how bad the situation is.
Robert, who is not his real name, told us that the Iraqi government had an obligation to implement best international practices. He said that gas flaring is just the beginning of what he described as "appalling practices in the area that would not be acceptable in any of the operations of the company".
He said that the failure to maintain and upgrade systems and infrastructure led to frequent oil spills. Video evidence of major oil leaks has been seen by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Two other former employees of the company have told us that there is not enough pollution monitoring done on site.
"We would like to make it clear that we do not agree with the claims you have made about operational safety at Rumaila," said the spokesman for the oil company. Significant improvements have been made since the beginning of our work in Iraq. There is more to be done after years of conflict and under investment, and we are committed to supporting further improvements at Rumaila.
Ali's immune system is weak and he can no longer play sports because of his education being cut short. Many of the other children suffering from cancer who we met have since died, including 13-year-olds Fatima and Mustafa who lived near other oil fields in the area, and 5-year-old Benin who lost her older brother to the disease.
Ali has asked for compensation many times. He says an employee from the operator visited him a day after the investigation was aired.
I told him that I was sick from the pollution and asked if the company could compensate me. Since then, I have not heard from them.
It was not appropriate to comment on private conversations between staff and individuals, but after being contacted by the British Broadcasting Corporation, the company started working with the partners to look at the issues raised and, where necessary, how to address them. There is a review of processes and procedures to support the community.
Prior to our initial investigation, we were told that flaring emissions from activities only where it is the operator were not included in the report.
It was estimated by Insiders that the improvements to reduce the flaring at Rumaila would cost in the range of $3-$5 million.
The additional reporting was done by Jess Kelly and Esme.
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