Combatting climate change with legendary polar explorer Robert Swan

As COP28 comes to an end and countries across the globe make commitments to combat climate change, we take a look back at how we engaged our employees around fight against climate change as we welcomed legendary polar explorer Robert Swan, OBE to our office for an exclusive session: 'Leadership on the Edge: Preserving the Antarctic by 2041'. 

During this session, Robert shared with our employees his personal experiences and insights, which were nothing short of awe-inspiring, as the first person in history to have walked to both the North and South Poles! He engaged our employees across the globe, sharing his story in-person in our Canary Wharf office and also virtually as we live-streamed the discussion across our global offices in the US and Australia. 

We connected with Robert Swan back in 2021 when we sponsored Caroline Marriage, an employee of our former technology partner Origami, on her journey to Antarctica with the 2041 ClimateForce Expedition, led by the incredible Robert Swan himself. 150+ people united in a common mission to better the planet, raise awareness and inspire individuals to become sustainable leaders in the battle against climate change.

The 2041 ClimateForce Expedition is a remarkable initiative, engaging businesses and communities on climate science, personal leadership, renewable technologies and promoting measurable action plans for sustainable development. It is a mission aligned closely with SmartestEnergy's values of environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Throughout the session, Robert highlighted why a global shift to renewable energy is crucial for the preservation of Antarctica and the survival of our planet: ‘Increased climate challenges have made the need for renewable energy more important than ever. The only reason people would go to Antarctica would be for fossil fuels, but if we are scaling renewables globally, it would not make financial sense. So, I am trying to be a renewable energy champion…the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it’.

Witnessing Robert Swan’s passion and dedication to preserving Antarctica and mitigating the effects of climate change remains an inspiration to us all and the lessons learnt are at the forefront as we progress on our mission to empower a greener generation. We look forward to working closely with Robert Swan in the future to accelerate his cause and become part of his climate change advocacy.