Robert Swan is speaking from 14,830km away but can be heard loud and clear on his solar-powered mobile phone. The call is all the more remarkable because there is no sun on the morning he rings from King George Island, Antarctica.
The first man to walk unaided to the North and South poles, Swan recently spent two weeks in Antarctica relying entirely on renewable energy in a project that shows its viability in the remotest places.
The British polar explorer is preparing for the Voyage for Cleaner Energy that starts in San Francisco next week - a four-year journey around the world aimed at linking upcoming university leaders with corporate bosses to develop solutions for global warming. But today he'll be in Hong Kong to deliver the keynote address at an investment conference organised by Credit Suisse, where he plans to challenge local captains of industry to take the lead on environmental issues. He will also speak tomorrow at the Asia Society lunch at the J.W. Marriott Hotel (see The Planner, C8).
'I'll be asking them how they're living their lives - but in a positive way that challenges and inspires them,' says Swan, 52, over the phone from Antarctica. 'The most important thing is telling them an inspiring story about what's possible by working together.'
Swan, an ancient history graduate from Durham University, initially visited the South Pole as a member of the British Antarctic Survey in the early 80s. Since trekking to the South Pole in 1986 and to the North Pole three years later, he's been a leader in raising awareness about the fragility of the planet's ecosystem, and leads a group of teachers, students and representatives from corporate sponsors to Antarctica each year.
He's dedicated his life to ensuring that the polar regions remain pristine; in 1995, he was awarded an OBE for his efforts. His organisation, 2041, is named for the year the Environmental Protocol of the Antarctic Treaty, which bans mining and drilling for oil on the continent, will be reviewed.