Mikaela Loach

Mikaela Loach is a climate justice activist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was a medical student at the University of Edinburgh who uses social media for campaigning.

Alongside Jo Becker, Loach is the co-producer, writer and presenter of the Yikes podcast, which explores climate change, human rights and social justice. She is the author of the book It's Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World (2023).

Loach was born in Jamaica to a British father and Jamaican mother, and was brought up in Surrey, United Kingdom. Loach moved to Edinburgh and became a medical student at the University of Edinburgh.

Aware of the intersection between the refugee crisis, the climate crisis, racism and the legacies of colonialism, Loach advocates for environmental justice, racial justice, sustainable fashion, and human rights issues such as white supremacy and maltreatment of migrants. She also seeks to make the climate movement more inclusive.

Her advocacy includes writing for Eco-Age and using Instagram. As part of 2019 Extinction Rebellion climate crisis protests in London, Loach locked-on for eight hours in an attempt to prevent police clearing a site. She also campaigns with Climate Camp Scotland. She was a speaker at Zurich Insurance Group's Youth Against Carbon Conference. In 2020, Loach created the Yikes podcast with Jo Becker. In 2021, she began taking the UK government to court for usingtaxpayers' money to fund oil and gas companies.

• It's Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World. London: DK, 2023. ISBN 978-0241597538.

• 2020: Nominated, Global Citizen Prize: UK Hero Award
• 2020: Named on BBC Woman's Hour Power List