Megan: We’ve seen how fast it can change
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Chris Packham with Megan McCubbin
MEGAN McCubbin longs for a planet that doesn’t need saving – but she has faith in the youth who are fighting the good fight.
The TV presenter, 25, says: “I wish I didn’t have to campaign. I wish it was a job that didn’t need doing. But it does.
“And that’s the mindset of a lot of young people. They’re getting stuck in and getting their hands dirty, which is great.”
Megan, a zoologist, is the stepdaughter of naturalist Chris Packham, and is joining him as a guest host on BBC show Springwatch.
Her main mission, though, is joining the youngsters around the world to campaign on the climate and ecological crisis.
She says: “We’ve seen some amazing young people come to the forefront of the climate and biodiversity debate, who are really sticking up for it and changing policies.
“Young people’s voices are really being heard and it’s fantastic to see.
“There’s no ambiguity about the fact our planet is going to be a very different place in 50 years unless we drastically change the way we’re pumping out greenhouse gases and we can change our behaviour.”
She adds a remedy for being overwhelmed by the future is to immerse yourself in nature, saying: “I like to go for a walk and connect with what I love, engaging with the bird songs, with wild flowers.”
She says Chris, 59, who she is spending lockdown with at their home in the New Forest, inspired her from an early age. “Anything I was ever a bit nervous about, he made sure that wasn’t the case,” she says. “He’d get me up close to understand what it was. Like spiders – initially I was a bit hesitant but we had a pet tarantula and soon I was going for talks with Chris and holding the tarantula. “He’s definitely had a big impact on my love of nature and my understanding of the natural world. He is a fantastic teacher and one of my role models. I am really lucky to have him as a stepdad.”
The natural world has flourished during the lockdown and Megan hopes this is the beginning of a huge transformation. She says: “We have to change our attitudes.
“We changed our behaviour so quickly to deal with the lockdown... it is possible.
“People are so much more connected with the wildlife around them because we’ve had time and space to be able to appreciate it.
“I hope attitudes change as a result. Nature has been a lifeline at this time. Nature now needs us to be a lifeline for it.”