United Kingdom
I'm an experienced writer, journalist and editor. I've written for the BBC, National Geographic, The Guardian, Monocle, Scientific American, VICE, British Airways High Life, and various other publications.
Awards & recognition
Finalist, Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness (2026)
Finalist, SWITCH Journalism Award (2026)
Finalist, Inspire Global Media Awards (2026)
jmphelan@hotmail.co.uk
The fact that most of our food comes from animals that have been killed isn't hidden from us, but we rarely have to think about it - this knowledge remains in the background while we continue with the routines of everyday life.
Britain's canals were not designed for nature, but for many species they could be what makes survival possible
Stratospheric aerosol injection means spraying millions of tonnes of particles into the atmosphere to bounce solar radiation into space.
Berlin's 'brutal lokal' movement promotes growing, raising and foraging food from the region. Now the city's best restaurants are getting...
Nature's clean-up crew, the necrobiome, transforms the fallen into a lifeline for entire ecosystems
While hundreds of millions around the world face food insecurity, a nation has managed to become the only country that can entirely feed itself. How did Guyana manage it?
A unique synthetic ecosystem is evolving in our oceans - welcome to the plastisphere
Nearly a century of prohibition in the Faroe Islands couldn't extinguish one family's brewing tradition. At their remote distillery, generations of knowledge now flow into whisky that reflects the islands' unique terroir and culture.
Frequently ranked among the world's greatest rail journeys, these iconic routes are triumphs of human ingenuity.
The small community found a big answer to an ageing population crisis
The effects of climate change are already being felt all around the planet. In coastal areas, those effects are manifesting in storms with unprecedented destructive potential.
These are usually the driest places on Earth. So why are they seeing so much rain, and what can we do about it?
For five short December days each year, sunlight pierces the heart of Newgrange, a 5,200-year-old tomb whose perfect alignment draws thousands to Ireland's Boyne Valley - but to see it up close and personal is down to luck.
One in 400 UK veterans experience homelessness. This small charity is using houseboats to lift them beyond the incoming tide.
Venice is a stunning oddity. It is a city built atop around 120 islands, crisscrossed by 177 canals, and is best explored - when on foot at least - via the use of its 391 bridges. It is a watery maze of a city, full of tiny footpaths and tucked away squares, hidden museums and secluded, centuries-old churches.
valbard, the Norwegian archipelago that lies deep inside the Arctic Circle, is on the frontline of global heating. This remote, largely barren cluster of rock, glacial ice and snow is experiencing observable, unsettling climate-induced transformation.
A passion for artisanal skills shapes a slower pace of life on Italy's Amalfi Coast
Greenland is fast becoming a hub for extreme sports for travellers and islanders alike. From initiatives looking to boost awareness of climate change to community-focused concepts, the island is a natural playground for those looking to get their adrenaline racing.
Around the world, a surprising number of airport megaprojects once pitched as the future of aviation now sit underused, mothballed or repurposed entirely.
From lifting your mood to blurring the limits of fatigue, music and the right playlist can change the way you move
Heaven's Door, co-founded by musician Bob Dylan, was created with the aim of reflecting his virtuosity and the rich heritage of Kentucky whiskey making. Its new Pleasureville distillery is testament to both
Researchers from MIT and NASA have measured how fast a supermassive black hole spins with a pioneering technique.
We've captured the wonderful stories and unique spots that expose the true essence of this iconic Midwestern metropolis
It's a cold Sunday afternoon; one of those menacing winter days that has, for the past two hours, been threatening a deluge. Paul and I meet outside The Jugged Hare pub in London's Barbican, we head inside and sit at the only free table.
British Airways High Life Magazine - your trusted source of travel inspiration
Interview on Irish TV in response to an article written for the i about renting friends.
At the 2006 World Chess Championship match between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov, it was clear that something was amiss. Topalov's team had accused Kramnik of cheating, suggesting he was guilty of using his toilet breaks to plot moves, potentially with assistance from a computer.
In the whisky sector, sustainability has cemented itself as an agenda staple. The industry is, in many ways, a perfect example of what can be achieved through joined-up thinking, and a dogged determination to do better.
It's useful to note that not all hot springs in Iceland are places where you can swim or soak. The temperature of Iceland's natural hot springs varies, but some water emerges from the ground at the perfect temperature for bathing (38-40°C, or 100-104°F), while some water emerges at a far hotter temperature.
The desert has never been far from Dubai's doorstep. Now a modern financial hub of some three million people, the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) most populous city remains surrounded on one side by sea, on the other by a seemingly endless carpet of sand.
An old Brazilian story suggests Ilha da Queimada Grande's snake population is the direct consequence of some inventive pirates' and their ploy to discourage people from finding their buried loot. However, the real reason for the island's unique population is somewhat less fantastical.
Two of the knives that arrived in the first subscription box. Photo: Joseph Phelan Due to a loophole in UK law, I didn't even have to provide any ID. Knife crime charities say they're horrified at the how easy it is for people to buy such weapons online.
Killing or hurting an animal on-screen is a surefire way to catalyse an emotional response from a film's audience, be it sadness or anger, dismay or shock.
Since Russia first invaded Ukraine nearly three weeks ago, the threat of nuclear weapon use has risen. This was made clear on Feb. 27, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country's nuclear forces had been placed on "high alert," the Associated Press reported.
In this week's issue: Lead Story: Bookshop Heroes 2022 Trade Spotlight: The Booksellers Association Author Profile: Freya Marske New Titles Non-Fiction: December 2022 Category Spotlight: Humour
(Image credit: Guillaume Preat/EyeEm via Getty Images) In Liu Cixin's short story "The Wandering Earth (opens in new tab)" (first published in Chinese magazine Science Fiction World in July 2000), Cixin portrays a scenario in which the planet's leaders agree to propel out of the solar system to escape an imminent solar flare that is expected to decimate all of the terrestrial planets.
Is Greenland on your bucket list? Icelandair flies to 4 destinations in Greenland, with connections from North America and Europe via Iceland. Journalist Joseph Phelan takes the temperature of football in Greenland. Greenland is an isolated outpost that splits the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has forced at least 1 million people to flee their homes, and has already seen thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed , could also have wide-reaching and prolonged ramifications for scores of industries and organizations, including many designed to be apolitical.
(Image credit: anouchka via Getty Images) If you're buying a car and have no experience with power measurements or vehicle stats, you may be baffled by one of the vehicle's key capabilities: its horsepower. Based on that term, you may assume that a horse can produce around 1 horsepower.
An article looking at the current state of football in Greenland.
From The Field One of climbing's greatest talents, Anna Taylor is not like most people. It becomes clear, almost immediately after we begin talking, that she is driven by levels of determination and ambition that are as admirable as they are rare. 'It sounds sadistic, but I enjoy pushing my mind and body to breaking point.
(Image credit: Didier Marti via Getty Images) It's no secret that Mount Everest, the jewel in Nepal's Himalayan crown, is the world's premier mountain. It's one of those facts embedded in childhood, like knowing that Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the or that blue whales are the largest animals ever to have lived.
(Image credit: Ali Arapoğlu/Pexels) Have you ever stood on a balcony, leaned over the edge and unexpectedly thought, "If I wanted to, I could just jump?" Or perhaps you've been at a cliff's edge, with the intention of doing nothing more than enjoying the view and fleetingly considered how easy it would be to simply step over the edge.
Knife-A-Month, which advertises on Instagram where it has more than 160,000 followers, did not respond when asked why it had stopped shipping outside of the US. But anti-knife campaigners welcomed the move, and said the reporting had led to the change in policy.
Interview on Times Radio re: knife subscription boxes. The article was originally published by VICE.
An feature on Redemption Roasters, an innovative coffee company that goes into prisons to teach inmates everything they need to know about roasting, preparing and serving coffee.
An in-depth conversation with outdoor chef Harrison Ward, known locally as the Fell Foodie, about his love of cooking and how it helped him overcome addiction.
James Forrest, adventurer, writer and Lake District enthusiast, has broken another longstanding record.
A discussion with Gilly McArthur, renowned wild swimmer, illustrator, climber, activist and documentary star.