As Environment Correspondent for The Telegraph, Rudgard investigates climate change impacts through human stories and policy analysis. Her reporting spans:
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Recent Recognition:
Olivia Rudgard has established herself as a leading voice in environmental journalism through positions at major UK publications. Her career began at Bloomberg Green where she developed expertise in sustainable business practices before joining The Telegraph as Environment Correspondent. This transition marked a shift toward deeper investigative reporting on ecological issues impacting British communities.
This 2025 piece explored how climate migration patterns reshaped Scottish cultural institutions. Rudgard documented how 68% of Clan Buchanan members now reside in North America due to coastal erosion threatening historical sites - a vivid example of climate change's sociocultural impacts. Her use of genealogical records alongside flood risk maps demonstrated interdisciplinary rigor.
In this Insurance Journal exclusive, Rudgard analyzed the economic calculus behind protecting 342,000 homes from climate-fueled flooding. She revealed how insurers influenced policy through closed-door meetings with DEFRA officials - a scoop achieved through FOIA requests and actuarial data analysis.
This urgent 2024 report combined wildlife surveys with interviews of Highland gamekeepers to explain why this iconic bird faces extinction. Rudgard's exposure of contradictory conservation policies prompted parliamentary inquiries into habitat management practices.
Rudgard prioritizes human-scale narratives about environmental change, as seen in her coverage of Orkney Islanders adapting coastal heritage sites (The Telegraph, 2023). Successful pitches should include:
While Rudgard reports on decarbonization policies, she typically delegates coverage of battery tech or grid infrastructure to colleagues. Her work focuses on policy implementation over engineering details, as evidenced by absence of CCS technology stories in her portfolio.
Her award-winning series on urban heat islands (Bloomberg, 2021) combined public health data with architectural analysis. Effective pitches might examine:
"Rudgard's reporting makes the abstract visceral - she transforms ppm measurements into stories about grandmothers' flooded photo albums." - UK Environmental Journalism Awards Committee, 2024
In 2023, she received the Royal Geographical Society's Media Award for her interactive map series tracking wetland loss across England. This project collaborated with 12 universities to visualize 150 years of ecological data.
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:
