About
My name is Aaron Holdway, and I’m reading for an MSc in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy at Linacre College, University of Oxford. I’m originally from Canada, where I studied Chemistry at Queen’s University. I’ve been living in Oxford for three years, where I also work on research at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.
About the expedition
I’ll be taking part in the International Antarctic Treaty Expedition 2009 from 16 to 30 November 2009. A group of 40 participants from around the world will be meeting in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, on 16 November. After a few days of orientation, we will board the M/V Clipper Adventurer and head for Antarctica. The purpose of the expedition is to give people from around the world firsthand experience of climate change in action so that they can return and share their experience as widely as possible and work for change.
The organization running the expedition is 2041. It’s led by Robert Swan, a polar explorer who was the first person to walk to both poles. 2041 will be running future expeditions to Antarctica, so if you’re interested in potentially joining one, get in touch!
What I hope to achieve
I’ve always wanted to visit Antarctica. There is nothing else like it on Earth, and it is a truly rare and special honour to be able to visit it. The opportunity to do so in the name of protecting its future makes this not just a personal pilgrimage but a journey that can have a much wider impact, helping to encourage those I meet to work toward the same cause.
The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
- Robert Swan
When I return, I will be speaking with as many people as possible, particularly young people. In the audiences I reach, like fellow students at Oxford, will be the leaders of the future, who will play a role in deciding Antarctica’s fate, and that of the global climate as a whole. Even from such a distance, we can help protect Antarctica by using and promoting renewable energy to mitigate global climate change. This will be a challenge, but I believe that even the most difficult things can be achieved with intense commitment. As expedition leader Rob Swan says, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” It’s up to all of us to do our part.
Best of luck to you, Aaron. I hope you have a camera in all that gear. Take lots of photos!
Take care Aaron. We hope that through this expedition, you will be able to find answers to a lot of climate change issues that we are facing at the moment and you will be able to share it with everyone.
Kudos!
Awesome! It’s great that you embark in such a quest and adventure. I wish you the best of luck and looking forward to read your forthcoming news!
Best of luck on your adventure
Goof luck, Aaron!
The only concern I have – if such expeditions become numerous – don’t you think they might hurt the fragile ecosystem of the South continent?