Eagle Eye Magazine Issue 1 2023

What motivated you to co-found The Earthly, a digital
publication examining climate issues?
The initial idea for a new climate-focused publication came
from Joe Tester, a third-year Biologist at Magdalen College.
I immediately jumped at the opportunity to get involved, and
together we developed what is now The Earthly. We identified three
key issues we wanted to tackle, and came up with our aims:
‘optimistic, accessible, engaging’.
Firstly, so much popular climate media is very ‘doom and gloom’,
which often precedes the sentiment that ‘it’s too late’ or ‘there’s
no point’ in fighting for action anymore (which is very much not
true). While we are dealing with serious and heavy topics, we
believe it is important to frame issues from a perspective which
will motivate rather than demotivate, hence, ‘optimistic’.
Secondly, a lot of climate writing is jargon-littered and difficult
for any non-expert to understand. As well as this, research
is often published in subscription-only journals, which are
not publicly available. The climate and biodiversity crisis is
something that will impact all of us, and so we wanted to create
a space where anyone can access climate information, and be able
to understand our articles without extensive prior knowledge.
Hence, ‘accessible’.
Thirdly, many articles dealing with climate issues are information
dense and difficult to digest. We wanted to make our articles are
short and as vibrant as they can be, hence, ‘engaging’.
What’s your main goal with The Earthly?
We post a regular flow of new articles with the aim to educate,
and through this, to inspire change. Each article deals with
a different climate-related topic, presenting an issue and
discussing potential solutions.
What do you think is the most
important approach when dealing with
issues of climate change?
I think that we should attack issues with equal amounts of
fervour and compassion. By fervour, I mean the urgency and
agency required to push for immediate and permanent change. By
compassion, I mean understanding the nuanced struggles that the
non-human and human inhabitants of the planet will face as a
result of the climate and biodiversity crisis and keeping empathy
for this at the forefront of decision making.
Significantly, I think problems will be best solved through
collaboration, between researchers in diverse disciplines, policymakers,
communities, and intergovernmental organisations.
“I think problems will be best
solved through collaboration
How do you balance your degree work with working on
the publication?
This year I’ve shared the role of Editor-in-Chief with our Founder,
Joe, which makes the workload a lot more manageable. We are a
fairly small publication with a relatively large team – The Earthly
really wouldn’t exist without the help of our committed editors.
Also, as a Biology student, things I learn as part of my degree
often inspire our articles, and in the same way, the research for
articles supports my degree. The skills I have gained through The
Earthly, in researching, writing, and organising, have been hugely
beneficial to my academic life as well.
How involved have other students at Queen’s been
with The Earthly?
We’ve had a really good amount of Queen’s involvement this
year – with students studying subjects from Biology, to History &
Politics, as well as Classics, becoming writers and editors.
How can other students take part next term?
We are always keen for new writers to take on commissions or
pitch articles to us. We have already put together our editorial
team for Michaelmas term, but we will be looking for new editors,
illustrators, and a new Editor-in-chief for Hilary term. Anyone
who is interested in getting involved in any way can drop us an
email at editors@TheEarthly.co.uk.
How important do you think local and individual measures
are versus the endeavours of top researchers and policy-makers
in the context of solving the world’s big problems?
I think global problems require global solutions, but local efforts,
if coordinated, can have huge positive benefits. Individual
measures are important - I believe we
all should do as much as we can to live
more sustainable lifestyles. But critically,
I think individual empowerment can drive
community mobilisation, which can, in turn, encourage large-scale
change from policy-makers, government, and industry.
Scientific research is paramount: conversations about global
problem-solving must be centred around scientific evidence.
This is another pillar upon which The Earthly was founded – to be
entirely scientific evidence-based.
What’s your favourite place in Oxford?
I really like the Botanic Gardens – students can go in for free, and
there is a bench right by the river where I love to sit and read or
just gather my thoughts.
What are the most interesting things you have learned so far as
a result of gathering content for The Earthly?
I’ve come to realise how interconnected and intersectional the
majority of climate and biodiversity issues are. The biosphere is
just a series of complex interactions, so it is very difficult to deal
with a single issue in isolation.
Can you recommend a book?
One of my favourite popular science books is Incredible Journeys by
David Barrie. It describes the fascinating ways in which animals
navigate. It’s actually the book that inspired me to apply for
Biology at Oxford!
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