Lessons from the Climate Space, with the OCS Co-President
I am sitting at my desk at home, looking back through the well-loved notebook that’s seen me through my first term as Oxford Climate Society’s co-president. Scribbled hastily across its first worn page, with a few grassy smudges from our first meeting on the lawns of university parks, are words of what we wanted our society to represent:
Education & Art, Decarbonisation, Nature Recovery, Connection, Active Hope.
As is often the case, the messiness of the notes reflects the fever of collective brainstorm: as seeds of ideas whirl around our heads, little care is given to the presentation of the words that hit the page at the pace of our excitement.
I look at the last word on the page. Hope. Admittedly, this is something I’d once entirely lost - but upon its return, it brought motivation and restlessness. Last term, the society organised a roundtable discussion of climate emotions. Media coverage of the climate crisis generally raises discouraging emotions of despair, guilt and fear: I was no stranger to this. Discussing this, I realised that whilst these emotions undoubtedly have a place, they are often deeply harmful; as was all too familiar to me, they halt our instinct to act. Hope instead imbues us with responsibility. If we care about our world, we must act to protect it as best we can: if we care, despairing is not an option. Environmentalist David Orr tells us ‘Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up’. Sitting here now, I realise nothing could be truer.
New to the life of a university student, my personal timetable was punctuated by just a few of OCS’ many termly events. I’d decided the best I could do for the environment was to keep caring, and act within my own sphere – so I resolved to learn about my new sphere, and where I fit into it. Besides, I thought a few evenings spent at Climate & Cocktails socials might bring me a few steps closer to achieving the keenly discussed goal of ‘finding my people’.
It was there that I realised I was in a room full of excited and talented personalities who also had their ‘sleeves rolled up’. Here, discussing climate attribution, rewilding and nature-based solutions, I’d found those willing to invest in us and our environment, out of care and gratitude for the home it has given us. Acting within this sphere, as the busyness of this notebook is testament to, has had a far greater impact than I would have guessed. Marked on its pages are the formulations of all the incredible experiences we’ve had this term, from events held for the Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit, to an art, history, and poetry night fundraising for ocean conservation.
Isha, OCS Co-President ‘25'-’26, and Rebecca, OCS Co-Education Director ‘25-’26, at the Right Here Right Now: Night at the Museum event from Trinity 2025.
And now, with all of that under our belt – we look ahead to a new academic year, deciding what to focus on, and how to branch out. I turn over the next page in the notebook.
I am acutely aware that climate is not, and has never been, independent of other global crises – and I’m determined to stand by our aim to present a holistic and balanced understanding of the climate space, however daunting the task. How do we continue to address this amongst a myriad of other priorities, and to further widen engagement? These aims make for another busy year for the committee – the dedicated individuals behind our talks, courses and programmes that connect experts with locals, ensuring everyone has a place in this conversation on climate.
Our goal is a well-informed community – and so we will continue to work on making climate legislation accessible (on my new page, I scribble down: COP ‘debunking’ series). The spaces we create can host multiple perspectives: such as our internationally authored blog, and our campaign for climate in the curriculum. Additionally, I am keen for us to continue our decarbonisation work, and youth-focused mentorship & green career opportunities. I cannot understate the importance of supporting youth-led climate action: in affirming both our ability to act, and our presence at the forefront of one of the greatest challenges of our time, we give our future climate initiatives the best possible chance of success.
On this new page in my notebook, I write next: Nature Restoration project with the local Wildlife Trusts. Reconnecting Bernwood, Otmoor and the river Ray is a project that I’m delighted OCS will be involved with – its aims are to restore nationally important habitats, whilst supporting citizen science and youth action. Restoring our relationship with the land requires a historical understanding: from communal systems, we entered a system of enclosures and private ownership. We learnt to view nature as a commodity, something we can control, and manipulate. In this system, it has become too easy to avoid accountability for our impacts.
A notable memory of mine was in a lecture given as part of the School of Climate Change series, where it was taught that New Zealand’s Whanganui River had been granted the status of legal personhood. This legislation demands respect for the environment, and demands accountability. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that we rebuild the kinship we have with our environment, and with ourselves. For so many people, the natural world, and relationships with it, form their identity. Our relationship with the environment, at the very least, is a reflection of ourselves. So, which river do we want to live with? One that is healthy, a place of respect and reciprocity, or one home to our guilt, and our waste? Taking this step to support the restoration of our local river is something I’m wholeheartedly proud to do. And, finally, I hope that the next chapter in OCS’ story - to be told by the coming pages in my notebook - is defined by connection, understanding, and creativity.
Written by Isha Yadav
OCS Co-President ‘25-’26
Reference:
Weinstein, E. (2025). Hope is an Action Verb. Kenyon Alumni Magazine, [online] 46.2. Available at: https://bulletin.kenyon.edu/article/hope-is-an-action-verb/.