Skip To Main Content
Chris Parsons on Muck Rack

Chris Parsons

Washington, D.C.
As seen in: Marine Conservation Happy Hour, Apple Podcasts, Scientific American, BioRxiv, Southern Fried Science, Frederick News Post, ECO Magazine, Latrobe Bulletin, Sci on the Fly
Covers:  conservation, science, endangered species, marine biology, ocean science, ocean policy
Doesn't Cover: sports
Professor, podcaster, pirate, bunny-hugger, writer, sculptor, ex-ninja/model & dolphin saviour. Slytherin. Smells like the sea with just a whiff of adventure.

Get in touch with Chris

Contact Chris, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack

Actions

Share this page

Chris Parsons’s Biography

Read Full Bio →

Chris Parsons has been involved in ocean science, conservation and communications for nearly three decades decades and has been involved in projects on every continent including Antarctica.

He's currently a consultant for the Animal Welfare Institute. Prior to that he was the the Director of Communications content at Defenders of Wildlife, writing, managing and strategizing communications content on endangered species.

Before this he was a communications specialist for the US National Science …

Chris Parsons’s Journalist Portfolio

See all →
The evolution of the International Whaling Commission - from whaling quotas to whale conservation

The evolution of the International Whaling Commission - from whaling quotas to whale conservation

For decades, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was defined by a single, highly polarized debate: the…

View article →
Isn't ironic, don't you think: dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative on World Oceans Day

Isn't ironic, don't you think: dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative on World Oceans Day

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is pulling the plug on the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), system…

View article →
Oceans week 2026 - a lost hope

Oceans week 2026 - a lost hope

This week is National Oceans week. One of the main events in Washington DC is Capitol Hill Ocean Week (or CHO…

View article →
Why ocean science is still one of the worst-funded scientific fields worldwide

Why ocean science is still one of the worst-funded scientific fields worldwide

For a planet that is 71% ocean, humanity spends a surprisingly small amount of time (and money) trying to und…

View article →
250 years of climate change - it's as hot as hell in Philadelphia!

250 years of climate change - it's as hot as hell in Philadelphia!

"Someone open up a window!" Adams yells."No!" a Congressman barks back."It's stifling!" Adams protests."It's …

View article →
Earth Day 2026: We paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Earth Day 2026: We paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Earth Day used to be about the environment. In 2026, it's about traffic. The Trump administration marked Apri…

View article →

Articles

The “Conservation Paywall”: why saving the planet has become a luxury sport

|
By Chris Parsons
| Southern Fried Science Verified
Let’s be honest. Most of us got into conservation science because we wanted to save something. We envisioned conducting science that would be serving as a shield, protecting a fragile ecosystem or an endangered species from the relentless march of human expansion. We expected long hours, muddy boots, and a few mosquito bites. What we didn’t expect was that the gate to the field would require a gold card just to swipe through. Welcome to the conservation paywall.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

What goes up must come down: the toxic hangover from the Freedom 250 fireworks

|
By Chris Parsons
| Southern Fried Science Verified
The “Freedom 250” activities in Washington DC have been controversial for a number of reasons, but after the fireworks display in the early hours of July 5th, the environmental and health impacts of this event became a concern. In the aftermath of the fireworks display on the National Mall, Washington D.C.’s Air Quality Index went up to an unhealth 288, leading to emergency announcements that: “Outdoor air quality is unhealthy for seniors, kids, people with medical conditions.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Ageism in the conservation job market

|
By Chris Parsons
| Southern Fried Science Verified
Logan’s Run is a sci-fi movie from the 1970s, in which humans live in domes protected from a ravaged world outside. In these domes they live lives of pleasure and luxury. Until they reach the age of thirty, when they go to the Carousel and “renew” (in truth, they get vaporized). Anyone who tries to escape is hunted down and “retired”. If your office looks like like a scene from this movie, your HR office could be breaking the law.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?
See all 82 articles

Awards

See all →

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

Fellow of the Royal Biological Society

Fellow of the Marine Biological Association