Mikaela Loach

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Mikaela Loach
Born
Kingston, Jamaica
NationalityJamaican/British
Known forClimate justice activist, blogger and podcaster

Mikaela Loach is a climate justice activist brought up in Surrey, living in Edinburgh, Scotland.[1][2] She is a medical student at the University of Edinburgh[3] who published a book and uses social media for campaigning, named as one of the Prospect top thinkers in 2024.[4][5]

Alongside Jo Becker, Loach is the co-producer, writer and presenter of the Yikes podcast, which explores climate change, human rights and social justice.[6] She is the author of the book It's Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World (2023).[7][5]

Early life and education[edit]

Loach was born 1998 in Kingston Jamaica to a British father and Jamaican mother, and moved to Surrey, United Kingdom [8] at just two years old. Loach was privately educated at Farlington School.[9] Loach and her younger brother were brought up to question to status quo challenging societal norms under the guidance of their liberal minded parents. In 2004 Loach witnessed the Indian ocean tsunami all over the media, and recalled her father asking her " so what are you going to do about it". At age five, Loach thus took her first 'climate action' baking cakes to raise money for the victims of the tsunami. Loach moved to become a medical student at the he University of Edinburgh.

Growing up and playing at Hellshire Beach near Kingston, her inspiration came from seeing the effects of climate change. In 2020 Loach had visited her childhood beach, only to find it had been almost completely submerged due to sea level rise and was concerned not simply for the loss of her childhood memories but for the people who lived on the shore, the risk of their homes being taken from them and no power to fight against it.

Campaigning[edit]

Aware of the intersection between the refugee crisis, the climate crisis, racism and the legacies of colonialism, Loach advocates for environmental justice, racial justice, sustainable fashion, and human rights issues such as white supremacy and maltreatment of migrants. She also seeks to make the climate movement more inclusive.[4][10][11]

Her advocacy includes writing for Eco-Age,[12]using Instagram,[4]camping outside parliament, or taking the Uk government to court. As part of 2019 Extinction Rebellion climate crisis protests in London, Loach locked-on for eight hours in an attempt to prevent police clearing the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.During part of 2019 Extinction Rebellion climate crisis protests in London, Loach locked-on for eight hours in an attempt to prevent police clearing a site.[3][13] She also campaigns with Climate Camp Scotland.[10] She was a speaker at Zurich Insurance Group's Youth Against Carbon Conference.[14] In 2020, Loach created the Yikes podcast with Jo Becker.[10] In 2021, she began taking the UK government to court for using taxpayers' money to fund oil and gas companies.[15]Loach, alongside Kairin van Sweeden and Jeremy Cox took their case to the High Court in December of 2021.[16]

Loach expresses her struggle with climate anxiety. She had began by simply changing her own behavior in the form of altering her consumption habits and waste disposal; however she quickly realized change required a much bigger push. Even despite using social media and taking direct action, it seems the world is still on the front lines of disaster, Loach states.

But despite the risk of her actions, Loach finds motivation in the ability to speak up for those less privileged than herself. What she is sacrificing is nothing compared to what Indigenous people, globally, have been fighting for, losing their homes, their family, their lives. [17]

Publications[edit]

  • It's Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World. London: DK, 2023. ISBN 978-0241597538.

Awards and recognition[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Fox, Genevieve (16 April 2023). "'It's my calling': Mikaela Loach, rising star of the climate crisis campaign". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Mikaela Loach: "The only thing that will ensure our survival is a…". Kerrang!. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cope, Emily (3 February 2021). "The top sustainability influencers to follow on Instagram: From veganism to plastic-free living". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Ep047: #GoodAncestor Mikaela Loach on Climate Justice & Antiracism". LAYLA F. SAAD. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "25 Thinkers for a World on the Brink". Prospect: 24. January 2024.
  6. ^ Townsend, Solitaire (16 November 2020). "100 UK Leading Environmentalists (Who Happen To Be Women)". Forbes. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  7. ^ Peirson-Hagger, Ellen (14 March 2023). "Art attack! The unstoppable uprising of young climate activists". Dazed Digital. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Mikaela Loach: "The only thing that will ensure our survival is a…". Kerrang!. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Farlington Student Baking for Argentina – UK Boarding Schools".
  10. ^ a b c d "Activist Mikaela Loach on Breaking up With Fast Fashion and Why Climate Justice Is Racial Justice". Global Citizen. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  11. ^ Murray, Georgia (25 September 2020). "15 Women Decolonizing Sustainable Fashion". Refinery29. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Mikaela Loach, Author at Eco-Age". Eco-Age. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Extinction Rebellion protests: 'This is a last resort'". BBC News. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  14. ^ "'We're fighting for our futures'". BBC News. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  15. ^ Chan, Emily (4 November 2021). ""The Only People Who Can Save Us Are Ourselves": Climate Activist Mikaela Loach on Why She's Taking the UK Government to Court". Vogue. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  16. ^ McKie, Robin (4 December 2021). "Environmental activists challenge 'unlawful' UK fossil fuel plan in high court". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Climate Change | United Nations For Indigenous Peoples". www.un.org. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Woman's Hour Power List 2020: The List". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
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