I’m a marine biologist, currently studying for a Master’s in Marine Environmental Management at the University of Exeter. I believe very strongly in the need to take action on environmental issues – from waste and pollution to the greatest issue of all: climate change. These aren’t just ‘eco’ problems. Issues like climate change have an enormous impact upon people’s lives, affecting our health, our property and even our financial security. As a result, I’ve spent a lot of my time campaigning and working towards solutions – starting in 2017 with Greenpeace and moving on through a variety of charities before joining Another Way last year!
My role is focused largely on research. We design a lot of educational material, but for it to be educational it has to be backed up by scientific evidence. This means that I spend most of my time reading peer-reviewed studies and picking out key pieces of information. Recently, I’ve also been working on our Translating Science project: writing informative, easy-to-read summaries of some of these studies for Another Way’s newsletter and website. You can go and see the first one – about plastic pollution on mesopelagic coral reefs – now!
The enthusiasm within the team at Another Way is wonderful and incredibly contagious. I really love being part of a group who are open to new ideas, keen to explore new opportunities and always willing to take on big challenges. It’s an absolute privilege to be able to do the work that I do in an environment like this, where science is king and we believe in finding solutions that can make the world a better place.
As I mentioned above, I’m a marine biologist, so naturally the ocean is central to almost everything I do. When I was younger, this mostly meant that I was obsessed with the biology, ecology and conservation of sharks – I even wrote a little blog about them for a while when I was in primary school! Later on, though, I became more and more interested in fisheries science, which is the study of fishing and how it affects marine ecosystems. In the UK, for instance, fishing has a long, rich history and is of great importance to many communities. I’m passionate about studying our fisheries, investigating ways they can become more sustainable and considering how they and the people who rely on them will be affected by climate change.
I’m a big believer in the importance of public transport to climate action, so I try to make the choice to use buses and trains rather than cars or planes whenever possible. Other than that, I try to avoid buying food and other items in plastic packaging wherever possible, although this can be quite challenging in a lot of shops – hence why we need businesses and governments to join us in working towards a more sustainable future!
In the past few days, we’ve seen several countries sign onto the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty – better known as the High Seas Treaty. Additionally, on the 22nd of January, Palau made history by becoming the first country to ratify the treaty. This is momentous news: if 59 more countries ratify the BBNJ treaty, it will come into force and enable more effective management and conservation efforts on the high seas – areas of the ocean which do not belong to any one country. So far, 86 countries have signed the treaty without ratifying it – which of them will be the next to join Palau and carry the torch of global marine conservation forwards?
