A longstanding and passionate supporter of the population cause, Robin began his
environmental career more than 30 years ago, joining Friends of the Earth as a
volunteer just before the Chernobyl disaster.
That grim event led to his first paid job,
tasked with tracking radioactive fall-out across the UK and securing compensation for
affected farmers.
Subsequently, he held senior positions at Friends of the Earth, FARM, the Forestry
Commission, the Soil Association and latterly, at the Wildlife Trusts, developing
programmes that bring people into direct contact with nature.
While presenting BBC
Radio 4’s Farming Today, he undertook several investigative trips for Costing the Earth,
including visiting Chernobyl 10 years on, Bhopal in India, and Borneo, staying with
indigenous communities threatened by logging and palm oil plantations.
Director of Population Matters since 2017, Robin is an articulate communicator, lateral
thinker and savvy activist.
In his years of campaigning he’s changed minds, built
movements and helped force changes to the law that have brought benefits for both
planet and people.
Regarding population, Robin has found that until recently the UK’s major green NGOs
chose to skirt round the ‘elephant in the room’.
We live on a finite planet with a rapidly
expanding population, yet organisations seem to fear being associated with coercive
strategies or extreme arguments. He aims to change that.