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POLAR BEAR WELCOMES ONE WORLD EXPEDITION TO THE NORTH POLE
----First ever summer expedition to arrive at 90 ° North----
July 1, 2006 12:00PM Central Standard Time
Statement from Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen at the North Pole:
At 4:00 AM on the morning of July 1, 2006, Eric froze in his sleeping bag. He froze not from cold, but rather to try to discern a noise outside the tent that sounded a lot like footsteps in the soft snow.
For the first time during our 62-day expedition on the Arctic Ocean, a polar bear had wandered into our camp. A polar bear, 550 miles from land? No, we are not making this up! That very same day our expedition, whose mission it is to protect the polar bear, would reach the North Pole.
Yesterday, we were searching for meaning and not finding it. This morning it walked within 60 inches of us. We find it difficult to not draw a deep significance from this encounter.
After 62 days of pulling and paddling 225-pound modified canoe-sleds over 550 statute miles of shifting sea ice, open ocean, pressure ridges, whiteouts and blizzards, we have achieved what many thought would be impossible: the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole.
We, the One World Expedition, stand here at the North Pole to bear witness to the dramatic effects of global warming and the plight of the polar bear.
At the North Pole all the lines of longitude begin, grow and extend until they touch every single person and place on the globe. Seemingly just ice and snow, the Arctic is the one place that connects us all. We named our journey the One World Expedition to highlight this simple fact.
We partnered with Greenpeace to help save the polar bear, stop global warming and promote clean energy.
Our unique perspective has enabled us to see, firsthand, how global warming is affecting the Arctic. The changes here are more severe than we could have possibly ever imagined. The thinning Arctic ice sheet and potential extinction of the polar bear are not isolated events; global warming knows no political or physical boundaries. Droughts, sea level rise, and increased frequency and severity of storms are just a few of the many consequences of inaction.
Scientists already predict that the Arctic will be ice free in summer as early as 2030 - less than 25 years from now. As the ice disappears so will the polar bear, unless we all act now.
As Americans, we are proud of the opportunities our freedom affords. With this opportunity comes the responsibility to protect the integrity and health of the environment for future generations. We need to act now to stop global warming. The United States with only 6% of the world's population consumes 36% of the world's resources and emits 25% of the carbon dioxide gas.
Instead of being the leading contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, the United States should lead by example. The technology to produce clean energy from wind and solar already exists. We simply need to remove any political hurdles and facilitate the production of energy from renewable sources.
Our fight to stop global warming will not end at the North Pole, but will continue long into the future. As explorers in the 21st century our job is not to conquer, it is to protect. You don't have to be a polar explorer to stop global warming. Please visit www.greenpeaceusa.org to learn more.
It took nearly four years of planning, fundraising, preparing and training to get to the North Pole. There are many people and organizations who have made this expedition possible. None of our objectives or messages on global warming and the need to protect the polar bear could have been conveyed without the help of our friends and partners at Greenpeace.
We also want to thank the Rolex Awards for Enterprise for believing in our project and providing early recognition and support. Thank you to our equipment sponsors whose donations were so critical to our survival. Please visit www.oneworldexpedition.com to learn more about our sponsors. We would also like to thank all the individuals and organizations, too numerous to list here, who have supported our efforts. Finally, thank you to our friends and families.
Dupre Named Rolex Laureate
Polar explorer Lonnie Dupre of Grand Marais, Minn. was named one of five 2004 Rolex Laureates on September 29 in a ceremony in Paris. The Rolex Awards for Enterprise are given every two years to provide visionary men and women worldwide with the financial support and recognition needed to carry out innovative projects that expand human knowledge or improve the lot of mankind. Over 1,700 people from 117 countries applied for this year's awards, which span five major areas of recognition: exploration and discovery (Dupre's category), science and medicine, technology and innovation, the environment, and cultural heritage. Read more.
Learn more about the Rolex Awards for Enterprise.
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