Today's guest is Will Steger, an educator, activist, photographer, and polar explorer. Will is a prominent spokesperson for the preservation and understanding of the Arctic and is the creator of the Will Steger Foundation, which exists to educate and empower people to engage in solutions to climate change.
Will was the fourth person ever to have reached both Earth's poles. He led the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole in 1986. In 1989 and 1990, he led the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica, a 3,471-mile journey, to raise awareness of the need for international cooperation to ban mining and oil exploration in Antarctica. This journey became a worldwide media phenomenon, leading to meetings with multiple global heads of state.
Will and Cody talk about how he built and leveraged his platform, the current priorities of his foundation, his childhood, how he started exploring, and how he's seen the world change in his lifetime, both physically and in terms of the understanding of and support for climate action. Lastly, they talk about survival, how Will manages to do it in the bleakest moments of an expedition, and how he thinks humans will do it in the face of climate change.
In this episode, we cover:
- [2:15] Will's early expedition to Antarctica which gained global recognition in 1986
- [7:45] An overview of the Antarctic Treaty and Will's experience with diplomacy and building awareness and cooperation among global leaders
- [10:15] Reflections on his first trip to the Antarctic and landing on the Larsen A Ice Shelf
- [12:40] An overview of the Will Steger Foundation
- [15:58] His work to bring climate into school curriculums and the shifting youth attitudes toward the topic
- [20:58] Will's upbringing and early interest in exploration
- [26:40] How he got involved with dogsledding and an overview of working with dogs
- [29:30] Will's first journey to the North Pole in 1986
- [33:16] An overview of Will's new Steger Center for Innovation and Leadership
- [34:28] Observations that have been most effective in helping people understand the implications of climate change
- [42:14] How to follow Will's travels at https://stegercenter.org/
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Cody Simms
Will Steger
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Episode recorded on March 13, 2023.
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant