Iraq: Under poisoned skies - BBC World Service Documentaries

From the front line of climate change in Iraq, BBC News Arabic unmasks an invisible killer: air pollution, investigating a hidden epidemic of cancer and the deadly impact of oil production on children and the planet.

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Twenty years on from the Iraq war, western oil giants including BP now play a major role in the country’s oil industry, and are making bumper profits. This documentary reveals how the toxic practices they are using to extract oil may be putting people’s lives at risk.

This RTS award winning investigation takes you inside the communities living in some of the world’s most polluted oil fields, where cancer is so common “it’s like the flu”.

In BP’s Rumaila oil field - the second largest in the world - we meet 19 year old Ali and follow his extraordinary battle, from surviving leukaemia to challenging the oil companies. Ali records video diaries showing the black clouds of smoke that billow out 24/7 from the gas flares on his doorstep. His only wish is for the flaring to stop “so that the children can live in peace.”

Gas flaring is the wasteful practice of burning off excess gas during oil production. The process emits benzene which heightens the risk of cancer, particularly childhood leukaemia. The BBC found gas flaring as close as 250m from people’s doorsteps, breaking Iraqi law which says it should be at least 10km away. Ali tells us that many children in his community have become sick with leukaemia.

Working with a local environmental scientist, the BBC team carries out the first ever scientific testing of pollution levels in communities near the oil fields. The results reveal dangerously high levels of carcinogenic chemicals, including in urine samples of children.

BP posted record profits last year, amid calls for an extension of a windfall tax to combat the cost of living crisis. They also had their highest ever profits from Rumaila. The BBC’s requests to access Rumaila oil field were turned down, and the area is heavily guarded by checkpoints, so the team's only option was filming undercover.

Using satellite data, this documentary uncovers how BP and other oil giants are hiding millions of tonnes of flaring emissions globally, contributing to climate change. The investigation finds that Rumaila oil field has the worst gas flaring in the world, and if included in BP's annual reports, would double their global flaring emissions.

The companies said their reporting method was standard industry practice. BP told the BBC that immediately after first being contacted, they started working with their Rumaila partners to look at the issues raised and, where necessary, how to address them.

Watch the second part of this documentary, Breathless, here. A BBC Arabic investigation has found that harmful air pollution from big companies including BP and ADNOC is spreading far from their oil fields in the Gulf 👉🏽    • How hidden oil pollution puts million...  

To watch more investigative journalism from our award-winning BBC teams check out this documentary playlist, perfect for the biggest screen in your home 👉🏽    • All BBC World Service Documentaries  
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