We are honoured to welcome to Hong Kong again - for the first time in a decade - Robert Swan, the great polar explorer.  Robert was the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles and its now also one of the world’s most famous environmentalists. In this talk, he speaks of his record breaking career as an explorer and how it led to him becoming a powerful environmentalist.   He is widely known as a fine speaker and the talk is illustrated with superb slides.

Robert’s 900-mile journey across the treacherous Antarctic ice cap to the South Pole stands as the longest unassisted trek ever made.  The team, after spending a winter in the Antarctic, set off across the desolate ice cap pulling on their sledges their total needs for the trek.    Robert’s vision turned to the North Pole and he set off with his international team to cross 500-miles of frozen Arctic sea. They endured towering ice walls, freezing temperatures, fragmented drifting ice, appalling weather and polar bear attacks, yet he became the first person to have walked to both the North and South Poles.

Since then, Robert has built on his adventures to become a leader on climate change issues and to ensure that the world continues to protect the fragile resources of Antarctica both now and beyond the current treaty due to expire in 2041.  He has dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica, co-authoring the book Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth’s Last Wilderness. His 2041 Foundation was born out of this dedication to save Antarctica, aiming to use polar expeditions to educate, engage and inspire the next generations.  

In 2017, Robert undertook the South Pole Energy Challenge, the first expedition of its kind: a 600-mile journey to the South Pole with his son, surviving solely using renewable energy.    His 2022 International Antarctic Expedition was the largest yet and a collaboration with his son’s NGO 'Climateforce', with 177 participants from 37 countries in attendance.
 
Dr Robert Swan, OBE, PM, FRGS is from the United Kingdom and read Ancient History at Durham University before joining the British Antarctic Survey.  In 1987 he was awarded the Polar Medal by HM Queen Elizabeth II  and   subsequently the OBE.   Since his polar exploits, Robert has been involved in many other endeavours, including international student expeditions.   He  became a keynote speaker at the United Nations first Earth summit for Sustainable development in Rio and has since established the first EBase on Antarctica which serves as an educational base to inspire teachers and future leaders.  He is an UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and won the Humanitarian Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award.  He is recognised for his extraordinary ability to inspire, including his numerous TED talks and his 1,000+ other talks worldwide.