04 Jun 2007 - My name
is Robert Swan and I am a polar explorer.
I’ve been visiting the Antarctic continent
for 23 years, since my first expedition
to the South Pole in 1985.
Having seen the majesty of the frozen continent
I have made it my mission in life to clean
up human impacts from the past and preserve
it for the generations to come. We know
so much about climate change now, and it
is urgent to inspire tomorrow’s leaders
and challenge them to act.
To this end I’ve been running expeditions
to Antarctica every year since 1996. I stay
motivated by the dramatic changes I have
witnessed on our regular expeditions.
During our 1996-97 expedition, the Larsen
B ice shelf was a major feature of the west
Antarctic ice sheet, a giant floating extension
of this permanently frozen land.
In 2002 the shelf sheared off from the
mainland and over 500 billion tonnes of
ice disintegrated into the sea in less than
a month. The British Antarctic Survey says
that the climate in this area has been relatively
stable for 1,800 years but average temperatures
have C in the last 50 years. Larsen B was
one of five huge ice shelves?risen by 2.5
that have been disappearing over recent
years due to warmer temperatures.1
The expeditions regularly visit King George
Island, to the north of the same Antarctic
Peninsula that used to contain Larsen B.
We have noticed significantly more rainfall
on the island than when we first began visiting.
I’ve also been seeing the greening of the
islands surrounding our base. Nelson Island
is located in the bay across from King George
Island, and now two new species of grass
can be found there. It’s the warmer, wetter
weather that makes the grass grow better.
The island’s glacier is also retreating
every summer. We have hiked across the glacier
on several expeditions, and each year the
ice climb starts a little higher up. We
see more and more uncovered ground each
year here and the trend is not limited to
this island alone – it’s being witnessed
all over Antarctica.
It is the speed of change in Antarctica
that has major kick-on effects for the whole
region. The ice sheets that form each winter
are larger than the continent’s total land
area. When the sheets form they dump a load
of salt into the ocean, because freshwater
freezes at a higher temperature than salt
water.
This more salty, cold, oxygen-rich water
is denser and heavier, which is why it sinks
to the bottom of the ocean near Antarctica,
and from there it flows under the oceans
of the world, breathing life into the algae,
krill and deep sea plants that support all
sea animals. This makes the oceans the ‘lungs
of the sea’. With the Antarctic ice sheets
melting away, more fresh water is flowing
into the oceans, threatening to slow this
process, and as a result a huge portion
of our food supply is threatened.
The ice also reflects 90% of the sun’s
rays – it is crucial for regulating the
exchange of heat, gases and moisture between
the atmosphere and the ocean.
The changing physical environment also
triggers changes to the animal populations.
We have seen fewer Adelie penguins on the
peninsula in recent years, which require
the sea ice to hunt and feed. Changes to
animal populations are a signal to me of
an environment out of balance.
Both the Artic and the Antarctic are vital
elements of our world’s natural thermostat
and both are changing drastically from human
interference. In 1989 I led the ‘IceWalk’
expedition to the North Pole with a team
of people from seven nations. We saw first
hand how the ice and snow fields are changing
and the effects on the people who make their
living from hunting and fishing.
After reaching both poles, I’ve been able
to speak to audiences all over the world
about my expeditions, including at the Rio
Earth Summit in 1992. This world-changing
conference was where the members of the
United Nations first took joint steps to
halt climate change.
I have seen that global warming is a reality.
My main mission is now to promote what we
can all do to halt the trend. We must use
renewable energy and recycle wherever possible.
It took my expedition members five years
to clean up 1,000 tonnes of rubbish left
in Antarctica at abandoned bases, visiting
every year. The crews know what kind of
mammoth international effort is needed to
do a clean up of this scale.
To meet the challenge of global warming
we must all work together – households,
industry, business and governments of the
world – to drastically reduce our greenhouse
gas emissions.
The consequence of not acting is the destruction
of our last remaining wilderness areas and
the loss of Antarctica to our children,
and their children for years to come. My
foundation is bearing witness to the changes
to Antarctica and doing everything we can
to prevent future damage and loss of this
incredible inspiring place.
It was Sir Robert Scott who died trying
to get to the South Pole in 1912, but he
left a legacy with his son Peter Scott.
Peter inherited his father’s passion for
our environment and wild places, becoming
a co-founder of WWF, then called World Wide
Fund for Nature. Peter in turn inspired
me on my expeditions to Antarctica. I take
my role very seriously as a climate witness
for WWF, carrying on the legacy of the Scott
family and motivating today’s society to
act to halt climate change.
