Let's save the last pristine continent
-
0:01 - 0:04Let's go south.
-
0:04 - 0:11All of you are actually going south.
-
0:11 - 0:15This is the direction of south, this way,
-
0:15 - 0:22and if you go 8,000 kilometers
out of the back of this room, -
0:22 - 0:27you will come to as far south
as you can go anywhere on Earth, -
0:27 - 0:29the Pole itself.
-
0:29 - 0:33Now, I am not an explorer.
-
0:33 - 0:37I'm not an environmentalist.
-
0:37 - 0:40I'm actually just a survivor,
-
0:40 - 0:46and these photographs
that I'm showing you here are dangerous. -
0:46 - 0:52They are the ice melt
of the South and North Poles. -
0:52 - 0:54And ladies and gentlemen,
-
0:54 - 1:00we need to listen to what
these places are telling us, -
1:00 - 1:06and if we don't, we will end up
with our own survival situation -
1:06 - 1:10here on planet Earth.
-
1:10 - 1:16I have faced head-on these places,
-
1:16 - 1:20and to walk across a melting ocean of ice
-
1:20 - 1:23is without doubt
the most frightening thing -
1:23 - 1:27that's ever happened to me.
-
1:27 - 1:33Antarctica is such a hopeful place.
-
1:33 - 1:40It is protected by
the Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959. -
1:41 - 1:47In 1991, a 50-year agreement
was entered into -
1:47 - 1:53that stops any exploitation in Antarctica,
-
1:53 - 1:58and this agreement could be altered,
-
1:58 - 2:03changed, modified, or even abandoned
-
2:03 - 2:08starting in the year 2041.
-
2:10 - 2:12Ladies and gentlemen,
-
2:12 - 2:18people already far up north
from here in the Arctic -
2:18 - 2:21are already taking advantage
-
2:21 - 2:25of this ice melt,
-
2:25 - 2:32taking out resources from areas
already that have been covered in ice -
2:32 - 2:35for the last 10, 20, 30,000,
-
2:35 - 2:38100,000 years.
-
2:38 - 2:42Can they not join the dots
-
2:42 - 2:48and think, "Why is the ice
actually melting?" -
2:48 - 2:51This is such an amazing place,
-
2:51 - 2:55the Antarctic, and I have worked hard
-
2:55 - 3:00for the last 23 years on this mission
-
3:00 - 3:04to make sure that what's happening
up here in the North -
3:04 - 3:10does never happen,
cannot happen in the South. -
3:10 - 3:12Where did this all begin?
-
3:12 - 3:14It began for me at the age of 11.
-
3:14 - 3:17Check out that haircut.
It's a bit odd. (Laughter) -
3:17 - 3:23And at the age of 11,
I was inspired by the real explorers -
3:23 - 3:27to want to try to be the first
to walk to both Poles. -
3:27 - 3:32I found it incredibly inspiring
-
3:32 - 3:36that the idea of becoming a polar traveler
-
3:36 - 3:40went down pretty well with girls
at parties when I was at university. -
3:40 - 3:42That was a bit more inspiring.
-
3:42 - 3:46And after years, seven
years of fundraising, -
3:46 - 3:48seven years of being told no,
-
3:48 - 3:54seven years of being told
by my family to seek counseling -
3:54 - 3:58and psychiatric help,
-
3:58 - 4:04eventually three of us found ourselves
marching to the South Geographic Pole -
4:04 - 4:10on the longest unassisted march
ever made anywhere on Earth in history. -
4:10 - 4:14In this photograph,
we are standing in an area -
4:14 - 4:18the size of the United States of America,
-
4:18 - 4:19and we're on our own.
-
4:19 - 4:22We have no radio
communications, no backup. -
4:22 - 4:29Beneath our feet,
90 percent of all the world's ice, -
4:30 - 4:3470 percent of all the world's fresh water.
-
4:34 - 4:36We're standing on it.
-
4:36 - 4:41This is the power of Antarctica.
-
4:41 - 4:44On this journey, we faced
the danger of crevasses, -
4:44 - 4:47intense cold,
-
4:47 - 4:52so cold that sweat turns
to ice inside your clothing, -
4:52 - 4:54your teeth can crack,
-
4:54 - 4:56water can freeze in your eyes.
-
4:56 - 4:59Let's just say it's a bit chilly.
(Laughter) -
4:59 - 5:03And after 70 desperate days,
we arrive at the South Pole. -
5:03 - 5:05We had done it.
-
5:05 - 5:11But something happened to me
on that 70-day journey in 1986 -
5:11 - 5:14that brought me here, and it hurt.
-
5:14 - 5:19My eyes changed color
in 70 days through damage. -
5:19 - 5:21Our faces blistered out.
-
5:21 - 5:26The skin ripped off
and we wondered why. -
5:26 - 5:29And when we got home,
we were told by NASA -
5:29 - 5:32that a hole in the ozone
had been discovered -
5:32 - 5:34above the South Pole,
-
5:34 - 5:39and we'd walked underneath it
the same year it had been discovered. -
5:39 - 5:45Ultraviolet rays down, hit the ice,
bounced back, fried out the eyes, -
5:45 - 5:48ripped off our faces.
-
5:48 - 5:51It was a bit of a shock --
(Laughter) -- -
5:51 - 5:55and it started me thinking.
-
5:55 - 5:58In 1989, we now head north.
-
5:58 - 6:03Sixty days, every step away
from the safety of land -
6:03 - 6:05across a frozen ocean.
-
6:05 - 6:07It was desperately cold again.
-
6:07 - 6:13Here's me coming in from washing
naked at -60 Celsius. -
6:14 - 6:18And if anybody ever says to you,
"I am cold" -- (Laughter) -- -
6:18 - 6:24if they look like this,
they are cold, definitely. -
6:24 - 6:27(Applause)
-
6:27 - 6:33And 1,000 kilometers away
from the safety of land, -
6:33 - 6:36disaster strikes.
-
6:36 - 6:43The Arctic Ocean melts beneath our feet
four months before it ever had in history, -
6:43 - 6:47and we're 1,000 kilometers from safety.
-
6:47 - 6:53The ice is crashing around us, grinding,
and I'm thinking, "Are we going to die?" -
6:53 - 6:58But something clicked
in my head on this day, -
6:58 - 7:05as I realized we, as a world,
are in a survival situation, -
7:05 - 7:09and that feeling has never gone away
for 25 long years. -
7:09 - 7:14Back then, we had to march or die.
-
7:14 - 7:17And we're not some TV survivor program.
-
7:17 - 7:20When things go wrong for us,
it's life or death, -
7:20 - 7:24and our brave African-American Daryl,
-
7:24 - 7:27who would become the first American
to walk to the North Pole, -
7:27 - 7:32his heel dropped off
from frostbite 200 klicks out. -
7:32 - 7:34He must keep going, he does,
-
7:34 - 7:39and after 60 days on the ice,
we stood at the North Pole. -
7:39 - 7:41We had done it.
-
7:41 - 7:46Yes, I became the first person in history
stupid enough to walk to both Poles, -
7:46 - 7:48but it was our success.
-
7:49 - 7:53And sadly, on return home,
-
7:53 - 7:56it was not all fun.
-
7:56 - 7:58I became very low.
-
7:58 - 8:04To succeed at something is often harder
than actually making it happen. -
8:04 - 8:09I was empty, lonely,
financially destroyed. -
8:09 - 8:11I was without hope,
-
8:11 - 8:15but hope came in the form
of the great Jacques Cousteau, -
8:15 - 8:20and he inspired me to take on
the 2041 mission. -
8:20 - 8:23Being Jacques, he gave me
clear instructions: -
8:23 - 8:28Engage the world leaders,
talk to industry and business, -
8:28 - 8:31and above all, Rob, inspire young people,
-
8:31 - 8:36because they will choose the future
of the preservation of Antarctica. -
8:36 - 8:41For the world leaders, we've been
to every world Earth Summit, -
8:41 - 8:45all three of them,
with our brave yacht, 2041, -
8:45 - 8:50twice to Rio, once in '92, once in 2012,
-
8:50 - 8:54and for the Earth Summit in Johannesburg,
-
8:54 - 9:01we made the longest overland voyage
ever made with a yacht, -
9:01 - 9:0513,000 kilometers around
the whole of Southern Africa -
9:05 - 9:12doing our best to inspire
over a million young people in person -
9:12 - 9:17about 2041 and about their environment.
-
9:17 - 9:23For the last 11 years,
we have taken over 1,000 people, -
9:23 - 9:27people from industry and business,
women and men from companies, -
9:27 - 9:31students from all over the world,
down to Antarctica, -
9:31 - 9:34and during those missions,
we've managed to pull out -
9:34 - 9:40over 1,500 tons of twisted metal
left in Antarctica. -
9:40 - 9:43That took eight years,
and I'm so proud of it -
9:43 - 9:50because we recycled all of it
back here in South America. -
9:50 - 9:54I have been inspired
ever since I could walk -
9:54 - 9:57to recycle by my mum.
-
9:57 - 10:00Here she is, and my mum --
-
10:00 - 10:03(Applause) --
-
10:03 - 10:06my mum is still recycling,
-
10:06 - 10:11and as she is in her 100th year,
isn't that fantastic? -
10:11 - 10:13(Applause)
-
10:13 - 10:16And when -- I love my mum.
-
10:16 - 10:18(Laughter)
-
10:18 - 10:21But when Mum was born,
-
10:21 - 10:27the population of our planet
was only 1.8 billion people, -
10:27 - 10:29and talking in terms of billions,
-
10:29 - 10:33we have taken young people
from industry and business -
10:33 - 10:35from India, from China.
-
10:35 - 10:41These are game-changing nations,
and will be hugely important -
10:41 - 10:46in the decision about
the preservation of the Antarctic. -
10:46 - 10:52Unbelievably, we've engaged and inspired
women to come from the Middle East, -
10:52 - 10:59often for the first time they've
represented their nations in Antarctica. -
10:59 - 11:01Fantastic people, so inspired.
-
11:01 - 11:04To look after Antarctica,
-
11:04 - 11:11you've got to first engage people
with this extraordinary place, -
11:11 - 11:15form a relationship, form a bond,
-
11:15 - 11:18form some love.
-
11:18 - 11:21It is such a privilege
to go to Antarctica, -
11:21 - 11:22I can't tell you.
-
11:22 - 11:24I feel so lucky,
-
11:24 - 11:27and I've been 35 times in my life,
-
11:27 - 11:32and all those people who come with us
return home as great champions, -
11:32 - 11:34not only for Antarctica,
-
11:34 - 11:38but for local issues
back in their own nations. -
11:38 - 11:44Let's go back to where we began:
the ice melt of the North and South Poles. -
11:44 - 11:46And it's not good news.
-
11:48 - 11:52NASA informed us six months ago
-
11:52 - 11:57that the Western Antarctic Ice Shelf
is now disintegrating. -
11:57 - 11:59Huge areas of ice --
-
11:59 - 12:03look how big Antarctica is
even compared to here -- -
12:03 - 12:08Huge areas of ice
are breaking off from Antarctica, -
12:08 - 12:11the size of small nations.
-
12:11 - 12:15And NASA have calculated
that the sea level will rise, -
12:15 - 12:17it is definite,
-
12:17 - 12:21by one meter in the next 100 years,
-
12:21 - 12:24the same time that my mum
has been on planet Earth. -
12:24 - 12:26It's going to happen,
-
12:26 - 12:30and I've realized that
the preservation of Antarctica -
12:32 - 12:36and our survival here on Earth are linked.
-
12:36 - 12:38And there is a very simple solution.
-
12:38 - 12:44If we are using more renewable energy
in the real world, -
12:44 - 12:49if we are being more efficient
with the energy here, -
12:49 - 12:54running our energy mix in a cleaner way,
-
12:54 - 12:59there will be no financial reason
to go and exploit Antarctica. -
12:59 - 13:01It won't make financial sense,
-
13:01 - 13:07and if we manage our energy better,
we also may be able to slow down, -
13:08 - 13:11maybe even stop,
-
13:11 - 13:14this great ice melt that threatens us.
-
13:14 - 13:17It's a big challenge, and what
is our response to it? -
13:17 - 13:21We've got to go back one last time,
-
13:21 - 13:23and at the end of next year,
-
13:23 - 13:27we will go back to the
South Geographic Pole, -
13:27 - 13:31where we arrived 30 years ago on foot,
-
13:31 - 13:37and retrace our steps of 1,600 kilometers,
-
13:37 - 13:43but this time only using
renewable energy to survive. -
13:43 - 13:48We will walk across those icecaps,
which far down below are melting, -
13:48 - 13:53hopefully inspiring some
solutions on that issue. -
13:53 - 13:56This is my son, Barney.
-
13:56 - 13:59He is coming with me.
-
13:59 - 14:03He is committed to walking
side by side with his father, -
14:03 - 14:07and what he will do is
to translate these messages -
14:07 - 14:13and inspire these messages
to the minds of future young leaders. -
14:13 - 14:15I'm extremely proud of him.
-
14:15 - 14:18Good on him, Barney.
-
14:20 - 14:26Ladies and gentlemen,
a survivor -- and I'm good -- -
14:26 - 14:34a survivor sees a problem
and doesn't go, "Whatever." -
14:35 - 14:39A survivor sees a problem
and deals with that problem -
14:39 - 14:42before it becomes a threat.
-
14:42 - 14:48We have 27 years
to preserve the Antarctic. -
14:48 - 14:50We all own it.
-
14:50 - 14:53We all have responsibility.
-
14:53 - 14:58The fact that nobody owns it
maybe means that we can succeed. -
14:58 - 15:03Antarctica is a moral line in the snow,
-
15:03 - 15:07and on one side of that line
we should fight, -
15:07 - 15:12fight hard for this one beautiful,
pristine place left alone on Earth. -
15:12 - 15:14I know it's possible.
-
15:14 - 15:16We are going to do it.
-
15:16 - 15:20And I'll leave you with
these words from Goethe. -
15:20 - 15:22I've tried to live by them.
-
15:24 - 15:30"If you can do, or dream you can,
-
15:31 - 15:34begin it now,
-
15:34 - 15:41for boldness has genius,
power and magic in it." -
15:41 - 15:43Good luck to you all.
-
15:43 - 15:45Thank you very much.
-
15:45 - 15:49(Applause)
- Title:
- Let's save the last pristine continent
- Speaker:
- Robert Swan
- Description:
-
2041 will be a pivotal year for our planet. That year will mark the end of a 50-year agreement to keep Antarctica, the Earth’s last pristine continent, free of exploitation. Explorer Robert Swan — the first person to walk both the North and South Poles — is on a mission to ensure that we extend that treaty. With passion and vigor, he pleads with us to choose the preservation of the Antarctic for our own survival.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 16:02
Yasushi Aoki commented on English subtitles for Let's save the last pristine continent | ||
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Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Let's save the last pristine continent | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Let's save the last pristine continent | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Let's save the last pristine continent | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for Let's save the last pristine continent |
Yasushi Aoki
163
00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:22,427
I can't tell you.
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I can tell you.