Parker Liautaud, 15, went all the way to the North Pole to get the message out about climate change
In early April, 15-year-old Parker Liautaud set out on an epic spring break adventure. Together with Arctic adventurer and professional guide
Doug Stoup, Parker planned to ski more than 70 miles (known to adventure travelers as the “Last Degree”) to become the youngest person ever to trek to the geographic North Pole.
Parker, a student at
Eton College in the UK, and a dual U.S./French citizen, conceived of the voyage as a way to raise awareness about the dire effects of global warming among his friends, peers and the larger youth community.
The voyage was made possible through the sponsorship of GE, who viewed it as an opportunity to inspire a “new generation of environmentally aware young people,” according to Beth Comstock, GE chief marketing officer. Along the way, Parker relied on the latest social networking technology—
YouTube,
Facebook,
Twitter and
Foursquare —to update followers on his progress.
“I came up with the idea of going to the North Pole and through this to engage my peers in a social media campaign, which is really the best way of getting young people involved these days,” he
explained to CNN reporter Stephanie Elam in April.
Ironically, severe weather and hazardous conditions (
likely the result of global warming, according to many climatologists) prevented the team from achieving their goal.
“Throughout the week, Parker and I encountered significant negative southward drift, huge open water leads, massive pressure ridges, high winds and some of the warmest temperatures ever recorded on the Arctic Ocean this time of year,”
Stoup blogged about the trip.
As a result, instead of skiing in, the two travelled the last 15 miles to the Geographic North Pole by helicopter.
For Stoup, the change in plans didn’t mean the expedition had been a failure. “I am not disappointed with our accomplishment,” he wrote. “I feel that Parker’s will and call to young people to participate in dialogue and act now will be heard much louder due to what we witnessed. Our planet’s future lies in the hands of our youth like Parker Liautaud.”
And although he was disappointed, Parker still felt the trip was worthwhile. |
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“It’s a humbling experience to be there, just to stand on the Arctic Ocean. I feel proud that I accomplished it.”
However, he added, the weather and conditions that prevented him from achieving his original goal just underscore the urgency around global warming and climate change.
“The way I got there really shows the real need for action in the Arctic.”
To continue to ensure that his and his peers’ voices are heard, Parker is capitalizing on the social media buzz surrounding his adventure and has asked Facebook followers upload their own videos about climate change. Armed with these high-tech testimonials, Parker plans to visit the United Nations’ ongoing negotiations on climate change in Bonn, Germany in late May.
To learn more, or participate in Parker’s online video petition, click here.
- Take me back home -