WEP 2012: Robert Swan – Surviving Antarctica and The Importance of Sustainability
"My passion for exploring began as a childhood ambition," said Robert Swan, polar explorer and keynote speaker at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) 2012 Winter Enrichment Program, "Growing up I watched films and read books about the great explorers of old and one day, I thought, 'I'm doing this, I'm going to Antarctica'."
Robert Swan in the University Auditorium
Inspired by the history of the frozen continent, Mr. Swan began his passion for exploration in 1979 when he raised $5 million for his first expedition. After raising the capital, he assembled a team of 25 people and acquired a ship which he named the Southern Quest. He named the expedition "In the Footsteps of Scott" after Robert Falcon Scott, a British Royal Navy officer who lost his life while leading an expedition to the Antarctic in 1912.
In November 1984, they disembarked from the United Kingdom on a 17,000-mile voyage to Antarctica. After arriving, Mr. Swan and his team spent the Antarctic winter at their base. When winter had passed, Mr. Swan and two others began the treacherous 900-mile trek to the South Pole.
"Day one was okay, but after the second day I thought 'I can't possibly be doing this, it's day two out of 70 and we have got hundreds of miles to go'," said Mr. Swan. He explained that the motivation "to stay alive" kept him and his teammates going. "We didn't have radios or television camera crews with us. There came a moment that we actually had to get there or we were dead." Following 70-days of trekking in sub zero conditions, the team arrived at the South Pole in January 1986.
In 1987, Mr. Swan planned his North Pole expedition by assembling a smaller team of eight people from seven nations. Calling the expedition "Icewalk", the team produced a series of educational films while in the Arctic.
Despite nearly drowning due to the melting of Arctic Ice, the team successfully completed their journey to the North Pole in 1989. Their arrival made Mr. Swan the first human in history to walk to both Poles.
Think global, act local
"I am pretty useless at most things in life, but I am very good at staying alive," said Mr. Swan. "I think the last great exploration challenge left for humanity on Earth, will be to survive on our planet," he said.
"The future heroines and heroes of this last exploration are here and now," said Mr. Swan, referring to KAUST students and young scholars of the world, "Not people like me walking to the North and South Poles, that's very outdated now." He advised students to think "unconventionally and entrepreneurially" about their futures, stating that there are "many great opportunities" for careers in the area of sustainability.
Mr. Swan also emphasized the importance of government involvement in sustainability, using Saudi Arabia and China as examples of forward thinkers in the area.
"China has put sustainability into the twelfth five-year plan and this is now legislation there. This was very important for the world. Every single layer of their government is now engaged in this issue," he explained.
"And I think Saudi Arabia is very interesting because it is showing leadership in these areas," said Mr. Swan. "KAUST is an example of that. Here is an institution that is aiming to move sustainable technology and renewable energy forward. I think this is part of what Saudi Arabia wishes to contribute to the planet."
About Robert Swan
Mr. Swan is President of 2041, a company dedicated to the preservation of the Antarctica. In 2003, 2041 successfully delivered the first corporate Antarctic expeditions on teamwork and leadership through participation in real missions. Since then, the 'Inspire Antarctic Expeditions' (IAE) teams have helped design and build the world's first education station (The E-Base) in Antarctica. Additionally, Mr. Swan is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Youth and Special Envoy to the Director General of UNESCO.