Live from Antarctica: Robert Swan’s Mission to Protect 2041
A Zoom Call That Could Change the World
You could say it was a ‘call of a lifetime’. About 80-100, 11 – and 12-year-old students gathered on a zoom call. No big deal??
Well, this was the first ever zoom call live from Antarctica, AND the host was none other than Robert Swan, the explorer and climate activist, the first person to walk to both the North Pole and the South Pole. He was speaking from the Ice Station in Antarctica, 600 miles from the South Pole. The call was an impassioned plea to activate these children to help preserve the 2041 treaties that prevent mineral exploitation in Antarctica.
This was not Robert Swan’s first engagement with Bangkok Patana. In 2016, he spent a few days at our school – meeting with teachers, students and parents. The school later sent a student and a teacher to Antarctica as part of Bangkok Patana 2041 campaign, to learn more about the remote continent and what we can do to save it. Swan’s engagement with the school also influenced sustainability initiatives such as energy conservation campaigns and environmental awareness programmes.
When Robert Swan was 11 years old, he became interested in being an explorer and said he wanted to walk to the North and South Poles. By the age of 33, he became the first person to walk to both poles. He had completed a 900-mile trek to the south Pole without radio or backup support, arriving on 11th January 1986. Then, three years later he arrived at the North Pole after covering the 600-mile journey.
The zoom call a few weeks ago included 11-year-old children across the globe including from Thailand, HK, Singapore, Indonesia, Canada, Italy and Nepal. He was very vocal that children are the decision-makers of the future. He spoke to the students passionately about their role in promoting clean energy. He asked each of them to become champions of Antarctica.
Robert Swan’s 2041 Foundation is dedicated to preserving Antarctica as a natural reserve and promoting renewable energy. The name “2041” refers to the year the Antarctic Treaty could be renegotiated, potentially opening the continent to exploitation.
