From Law to Love - Dr Megan Bowman (TC '89)

Dr. Megan Bowman, Director of the Centre for Climate Law and Governance, King’s College London; Head Girl 1989

After graduating from Toorak College, I studied Arts/Law at Monash University with a double major in Japanese Language and Egyptian Archaeology. In the classroom I learned about Renaissance art and Roman senates in my Arts degree and the full gamut of legal process in my Law degree. Outside of the classroom I earned a wage at a karaoke bar by pouring whiskey and singing Harajuku tunes with Japanese tourists.

I wrote and performed in comedy revues that eventually became sell out shows at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. I participated in an Archaeological dig in an Egyptian Oasis where, beneath the ancient sands, we discovered gold coins, papyrus shopping lists and (believe it or not) mummies. All these exceptional experiences fuelled my curiosity about the beauty and diversity of people and our planet, yet I questioned my place in the family of things (as Mary Oliver puts it). And while my heart rejoiced in learning the language of the world it also yearned to reveal the darker feelings and vulnerabilities of my inner experiences. Coming from a musical family and time well spent in the TC Madrigal, it was a natural progression to teach myself guitar and write songs about life, loss, and the human condition. In this way I found my voice and a very personal way to express it.

In time I learned to openly nourish my creative life as an integral part of my professional life. After practising in a top-tier commercial law firm and then an environmental law charity in Australia, I lived in Montréal and studied a Master of Laws focusing on global sustainable development.

Learning more about the rich preciousness of life motivated me to record an album Wonderlust in New York City and play jazz at folk festivals across the globe before moving back to Australia to complete a Ph.D. about private sector finance to address the climate crisis. This led to the release of an internationally acclaimed book, Banking on Climate Change. I continue with this work today. Most recently I was awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship after partnering with the UN Environment Program to produce climate finance research that has been translated into French and Arabic, and I am Founding Director of the King’s Centre for Climate Law and Governance which comprises of a talented multicultural all-female team and is of service to society through research excellence and stakeholder engagement.

In Law we are taught to be neutral, objective and, above all, reasonable. But I believe now that head-and-heart alignment is required if we are to have a future worth living.

I feel very passionate that part of my job is to provide heart-centred action alongside intellectual firepower, exploratory research, and clear communication to illuminate challenges and help find solutions. I want to redefine what ‘success’ means. How does it feel to reintegrate kindness, curiosity, courage, sensuality, authenticity, vulnerability, wellbeing, and to uphold boundaries? What changes occur when we embrace reciprocity and responsibility in our relationships within a ‘democracy of species’, to quote Robin Wall Kimmerer?

These days I am learning how to bring these qualities into my personal life as well as my work on sustainable finance and into my conversations with all sorts of people ranging from students in classrooms to decision-makers in industry and government.

It feels new and brave and very necessary. I realise now that love takes many forms in ever-widening circles of self, romantic, family, community, Earth, Divine and beyond. These forms intersect, evolve, and support each other; but hard experience has taught me that self-love is the key.

So if you ask me what is worth getting up for in the morning? I will answer Love. Love… and a good cup of tea.