With 20+ years reporting from 34 countries, Catherine Early stands among the UK's most influential environmental journalists. Her current work for The Ecologist focuses on international climate agreements and biodiversity protection mechanisms.
"Early's reporting doesn't just inform - it reshapes policy debates." - 2024 One World Media Award Citation
Catherine Early has established herself as a leading voice in environmental journalism through two decades of rigorous reporting. Her career evolved through distinct phases:
This 4,000-word investigation analyzes how theater productions worldwide are incorporating climate narratives. Early conducted interviews with 27 playwrights across six continents, revealing a 142% increase in climate-themed productions since 2020. The piece stands out for its cross-disciplinary approach, connecting cultural shifts with scientific data from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report.
Notably, Early uncovered how the Royal Shakespeare Company reduced its carbon footprint by 38% through innovative set design choices while maintaining production quality. Her analysis of box office data versus environmental impact created a new benchmark for sustainable arts reporting.
Early's deep dive into the landmark UN biodiversity agreement broke down complex legal text into actionable insights for policymakers. Through comparative analysis of previous failed agreements, she identified three key differences in enforcement mechanisms:
"The framework's novel compliance mechanism, combining satellite monitoring with indigenous knowledge systems, represents a seismic shift in international environmental law. For the first time, digital eyes in the sky partner with ancient wisdom on the ground."
The article became required reading in environmental law courses at 14 universities, according to citations in academic databases.
This investigative piece exposed the methane monitoring gap in UN climate reporting frameworks. Early analyzed 38 national climate plans (NDCs), finding that 89% lacked concrete methane reduction strategies despite contributing to 30% of current warming.
Her ground reporting from Arctic permafrost research stations revealed new data on methane release rates accelerating beyond IPCC projections. The article's publication coincided with the EU's revised methane regulations, cited by three parliamentary committees during legislative debates.
Early consistently highlights the disconnect between environmental commitments and ground-level execution. Successful pitches should identify specific policy loopholes or implementation failures, particularly in biodiversity conservation treaties. For example, her 2023 analysis of CITES enforcement failures in Southeast Asia led to renewed funding for wildlife trafficking task forces.
With 42% of her 2024 articles featuring indigenous perspectives, Early prioritizes stories demonstrating traditional ecological knowledge in modern conservation. Pitches should emphasize collaborative projects between scientific institutions and native communities, similar to her coverage of Māori-led forest management in New Zealand.
Early's reporting exposes how climate policies in developed nations impact vulnerable communities elsewhere. A successful 2024 pitch revealed how EU biomass subsidies drove deforestation in West Africa, exemplifying her interest in transnational environmental equity issues.
Early received this prestigious honor for her investigative series on deep-sea mining impacts in the Pacific. The judging panel noted her "unprecedented access to both corporate boardrooms and subsistence fishing communities." This recognition places her among elite environmental journalists who've influenced international policy debates.
Her explainer on carbon offset market failures won in the Analysis category, beating 1,400+ entries. The piece's innovative visualizations of carbon credit flows between nations became a template for climate finance reporting. Judges praised the "rare combination of economic rigor and narrative accessibility."
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Environment, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
