Nalleli Cobo

Nalleli Cobo

Nalleli Cobo and Greta Thunberg

Nalleli Cobo-Uriarte "Environmental Activist and Storyteller"

About

From the UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability:

Nalleli Cobo led a grassroots campaign to permanently shut down a toxic oil well in her community. Cobo-Uriarte, 22, grew up in South Los Angeles and started engaging in activism at age 9. Over the years, she endured headaches, nosebleeds and heart palpitations caused by pollution from the well in her community. She gave her first public speech at age 10. Even as a child, her skills as an orator caught others’ attention and paved the way for her to eventually become the leading spokesperson for banning oil extraction in Los Angeles. Cobo-Uriarte co-founded People Not Pozos, an organization that aims to secure a safe and healthy neighborhood, and the South Central Youth Leadership Coalition, which focuses on ending environmental racism in Los Angeles. In March 2020, her organizing culminated in the definitive closure of the AllenCo drilling site across the street from her childhood home. Additionally, AllenCo executives are facing over 24 criminal charges for environmental health and safety violations thanks to her work.

Cobo-Uriarte was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 19. After three surgeries and medical treatment, she was declared cancer-free. After years of tireless work by Cobo-Uriarte and many others, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to phase out oil drilling over the next 20 years. Her story and leadership also inspired the enactment of SB 1137, which bans all new oil wells within 3200 feet of communities in California. She won the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize and was named on the 2022 Time 100 Next list.

Beyond Fossil Fuel Town Hall with Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna

Our Revolution’s Beyond Fossil Fuel Town Hall with Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna, and Climate Activists

From an Our Revolution mass email advertising the "Beyond Fossil Fuel Town Hall with Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna, and climate activists" held on October 17, 2023. Other attendees included Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director, Our Revolution, Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, Nalleli Cobo, Ashley Hernandez, Francisco Gonzalez, Lena Gonzalez, and Sylvia Arredondo:

"Tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 17th, 2023 leading climate champions U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna will join Our Revolution’s LIVE Virtual Town Hall to organize for a world beyond fossil fuels, prevent backyard drilling in California, and fight for environmental justice for all.

We’ll also hear from Californians whose lives have been directly affected by fossil fuels, and activists working to fend off Big Oil’s attempt to overturn SB1137, which the state legislature passed to ensure all oil and gas drilling is set back at least 3,200 feet from homes, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and more.

[...]

The clock is ticking on the climate crisis. Each of the past three years has been the hottest year on record, and fossil fuel production is having horrible impacts on people’s health in real time today.

We need to move beyond fossil fuels before we lose everything. Every day, we witness the terrible evidence of our government’s failure to mount a resistance to fossil fuel corporations. Changing this will take all of us...."