Briton swims at North Pole to show effects of global warming

[unhappycamper]

Briton swims at North Pole to show effects of global warming
AFP
Published: Sunday July 15, 2007


British adventurer and swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh on Sunday became the first person to swim in the icy waters of the North Pole, to raise awareness of how global warming is effecting the polar ice cap.

Pugh, 37, took 18 minutes and 50 seconds to swim one kilometre (0.6 miles) in the minus 1.8-degree Celsius (28.8-degree Fahrenheit) water -- the coldest water ever swum in, he claimed in a statement.

"I hope my swim will inspire world leaders to take climate change seriously. The decisions which they make over the next few years will determine the biodiversity of our world," he added.

"I want my children, and their children, to know that polar bears are still living in the Arctic. These creatures are on the front line up here," he added.

The swim, in a water hole where the usually thick polar ice has melted, was to draw attention to the effect climate change is having on the Arctic ice sheet.

According to a recent United Nations report it has shrunk by six to seven percent in winter and by 10 to 12 percent in summer over the past 30 years.


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[corbett]

1. Polar Bears Must Retain Our Focus

Wow! That's an inspiring story!

I use carbon offsets in combination with conservation to live carbon neutral. One of the offset providers I use is NWF Wind Current. I like them because they keep the focus of reducing our carbon footprint on polar bears, a species suffering right now because of our excess. Details are available at

http://nwfwindcurrent.com

If you'd like to read more about how I live carbon-neutral and encourage others to do likewise, check out my expert blog at

http://www.keyboard-culture-global-warming.com