Father and son to embark on a world-first South Pole expedition in the name of climate change

Robert and Barney Swan will travel to the South Pole powered solely by renewable energy sources in a bid to raise awareness of climate change
Daniel Orton29 October 2017

Explorer Robert Swan was the first man in history to walk unaided to both poles in the 1980s. This year he is embarking on his last major expedition, an epic 600-mile, 60-day trek on foot to the South Pole.

Robert will walk alongside his 23-year-old son, Barney, passing on the baton of polar exploration to the next generation, and their journey will be the first to be powered solely by renewable energy sources.

The father and son team is being supported by the likes of NASA which is providing state of the art solar-powered ice melters, advanced biofuels provided by Shell and technical clothing for extreme conditions by Patagonia.

Through this extraordinary expedition, the Swans aim to highlight to younger generations that there is no easy solution to the challenge of climate change.

Robert Swan OBE, with Barney as a child

Speaking of the enormity of climate change, Barney said, “my generation has too much information and we’re tired of the inconvenient truth but this expedition is about the convenient solutions that can address the current climate change challenges.

“Our expedition is a small example of how we can all make choices to help us transition to a cleaner energy future.

"For people at home who are wondering what they can do, just making small changes like eating from sustainable sources, using less plastic cups and bags, and using solar-powered appliances to charge your phone will all help.”

As a life-long explorer, Robert is passionate about caring for the environment. When asked what’s left to explore he said, “the greatest exploration left is our ability as humans to learn how to live on the earth sustainably.”

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