To someone who knows nothing about your society, how would you describe it to them in a couple of sentences?
The Environmental Law and Life Sciences society is an interdisciplinary society that combines law and science to address climate change issues. This makes for a really interesting approach to climate issues that are often dealt with in a particular manner. We try to take a much broader approach. Importantly, it is a place for people from various disciplines to meet; we have students from bioscience, law, geography, history, political studies, etc. It’s a great place to meet and work with people you wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to meet in an academic society.
What are your personal motivations for being a part of the society?
My personal motivation for being a part of the society is quite simple. I have been passionate about environmental law for a long time – ever since watching the famous Erin Brockovich film. When I arrived at UCL Laws, I was eager to get involved with this discipline, but I quickly realised it was not possible until my final year when I could study Environmental Law. So, I decided to make Environmental Law accessible to all from the moment they arrived at UCL. I did this initially through the Green Impact initiative and have now moved on to this society where I hope to develop awareness and give opportunities to students from all years and disciplines.
Whats the best thing about being part of a society?
The society is a really great place to meet like-minded people. Although we are an academic society, through the socials we host, there is a fantastic opportunity to meet people who you would not usually have the opportunity to meet. Similarly, the opportunities to discuss with speakers at the end of events are really exciting. We all share the same passion!
Why do you think it’s so important to inspire other students to be interested and involved in climate action?
Climate change is an issue that we have to face, no one can continue ignoring this crisis in good conscience but it is not always easy to be a part of this movement for change and I firmly believe that a lot of people would participate if they had more accessible opportunities to do so. That’s why offering these opportunities from the moment students arrive at UCL, both within the curriculums and through societies, is really important and is what we’re trying to achieve here at ELLS. The ability to participate actively from the start of the university may inspire those students hesitating about going into this field to take that step.
A liveable future won't be handed to us by world leaders. And change begins in our communities"
Our lives will look very different depending on the actions we take today, as the current situation with the accelerating climate crisis is an urgent one. Quite simply, a liveable future won’t be handed to us by world leaders. And change begins in our communities - UCL is a large, prestigious university that has a huge amount of power. Its students have outsized influence on university policy - there is no university without its students, and with enough pressure and action we can force the big changes we want to see. This could then influence other universities in the UK, and other institutions in society, to change their actions.
Do you see yourself as a leader when it comes to climate action and change? And/or do you have anyone who inspires you in this field? It would be great to hear about them.
In my opinion everyone has an important role to play and being President of a society does not necessarily mean being a leader when it comes to climate action and change. It is more about placing responsibility on us to allow others to express themselves creatively to address these issues. Through my work with ELLS and as a Sustainability Ambassador working on Green Impact, I want to give others the platform to experiment with how they can address climate change on a small or larger scale.
My inspiration in this field comes from Erin Brockovich, who made me believe that fighting against the mainstream practice was possible and worth it. I hope to be able, through my current work with ELLS and later on in life, to give others this belief.
What are the biggest challenges for young people today when it comes to climate change?
I know many students will be anxious and scared about the future. They may feel powerless and think that there is nothing they can do to change the trajectory of the climate crisis. Whilst climate anxiety and other difficult emotions can be really hard to deal with, talking about them and building communities where we care for each other can help us not feel so alone. The other good news is - you have SO much power to create change, and there is so much you can do. Climate activism is the most powerful way to resist the destruction and devastation we are seeing around the world today, and we are here to support any students who want to take that step - it is above all else, fun and so empowering and rewarding, I promise. There is a place for all students in climate action, and this doesn’t have to be protesting if that’s not your thing. We need artists, writers, graphic designers, researchers, photographers, social media pros - or pretty much any skill you have (or none at all)! There is truly space for everyone here.
Climate activism is the most powerful way to resist the destruction and devastation we are seeing around the world today, and we are here to support any students who want to take that step.
Tell us about some of your current society campaigns?
This has been an interesting year for us so far. ELLS was founded two years ago, and the start of this year has been an important step for us, securing multiple sponsorship deals enabling us to offer better opportunities to our members and collaborating with many other societies. In the hope of inspiring other students, we organised a movie night with the help of our sponsor, HumaniTea. In partnership with Sustainable UCL, we will also be hosting an event on COP28 with members of the UCL team who will be attending the conference. We’ve got a debate on sustainable energy planned towards the end of November. Interestingly, we’re also collaborating with three other UCL societies to organise an event on Green Tech with our sponsor, Atlas. The start of the second term will see many exciting events focussing on Environmental law and science, so stay tuned!
What do you think are the biggest challenges for climate action?
To me, the biggest challenge for climate action is actually climate inaction. This is a challenge that cannot be solved through simple awareness campaigns and protests in the street. The inaction is deeply rooted in our education. We need a complete internalisation of our current crisis to see real change. This can only be done by as many people as possible reacting and working on these issues whatever the scale.