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Kayaking to the North Pole

23 July 2008

British environmentalist and explorer Lewis Pugh is returning to the Arctic this summer for another pioneering expedition in which he will attempt to become the first person to kayak to the North Pole, in part to raise awareness of the drastic loss of sea ice to climate change.

In a press release last week, South African financial group Investec Asset Management said it was supporting Pugh's Polar Defence Project, through which he aims to raise awareness for greater legal protection of the Arctic, and for people to take note of the effects of climate change in the region.

'North Pole belongs to all of us'

"Over recent decades, we have lost more than half the Arctic summer sea ice cover decades ahead of predictions, showing climate change has been hugely underestimated," said Pugh, a maritime lawyer, who completed a record-breaking one kilometre swim at the North Pole last year.

"We must insist that our leaders take urgent action to halt climate change."

He pointed out that it would have been impossible to kayak to the North Pole as recently as last year. The loss of sea ice has also increased interest in exploiting Arctic resources, and has led to a major escalation of tension in the area.

"The North Pole belongs to us all, all 6.6-billion, not just the adjacent countries and companies who seem determined to exploit this fragile wilderness," Pugh said.

When Pugh gets to the North Pole, he plans to symbolically raise 192 national flags, including the South African flag, and issue a call for Arctic peace to be preserved.

Hardest expedition yet

"This is without doubt the hardest expedition I have ever undertaken," Pugh said. "The Arctic Ocean can be unforgiving, especially if you are in a single kayak!"

The 1 200km journey, across some of the most dangerous seas in the world, is scheduled to depart from the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen on 29 August.

A support team will follow Pugh, providing a daily blog on the sea ice conditions.

'Ordinary won't change the world'

According to Investec Asset Management CEO Hendrik du Toit, the company is proud to be associated with Pugh, and has in the past sponsored him in several of his efforts to raise awareness of global warming.

These include the Investec Thames Challenge, in which he swam the entire length of the Thames, the Investec Maldives challenge, which saw him swim across the width of the Maldives, and the epic Investec North Pole Challenge, during which Lewis swam one kilometre in -1.8 degrees Celsius at the geographic North Pole.

"Our philosophy as a business has always been that 'ordinary won't change the world'," Du Toit said. "Lewis Gordon Pugh personifies this attribute, and it is an honour to support him in both his physical expeditions and his quest to raise awareness of the way climate change is affecting our world."

For more information about the Polar Defense Project, visit lewispugh.com.

SAinfo reporter