Robert Swan
Polar Explorer and Environmentalist · 1956
Who is Robert Swan?
Robert Swan OBE is a British polar explorer and environmentalist who, in 1986, led a three-man team on the first confirmed unsupported and unmechanized walk to the South Pole since Robert Falcon Scott's expedition, retracing Scott's original route on foot. Three years later, in 1989, he led an expedition on foot to the North Pole, making him the first person in history to have walked to both the North and South Poles. During his polar journeys he witnessed firsthand evidence of ozone depletion and environmental damage in the polar regions, an experience that redirected his career toward environmental advocacy. He went on to found the 2041 Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving Antarctica and promoting renewable energy, named for the year the Antarctic Treaty's environmental protocol comes up for review. Swan has led numerous youth expeditions to Antarctica to raise awareness of climate change and has spoken widely at international forums, including the United Nations, on sustainability and polar conservation.
Sources: Robert Swan, public talks and writings on Antarctic conservation, as reported by HuffPost (2012) · 2041 Foundation, official organizational history