Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole – Lewis Pughs

Ted Talk #1

Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole – Lewis Pughs

Rating: ****

Could you imagine jumping into freezing cold water? Could you imagine being just a minute in -1.7°C cold water? Many people could never stand those temperatures, but Lewis Pugh jumped in the freezing arctic see to make a symbolic swim against climate change.

In the Ted Talk “Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole” Lewis Pugh tells the story of his adventures swim in the Arctic and he explains the reason behind this symbolic swim. Lewis has been traveling to the North Pole for seven years and each year he saw less and less sea ice. The fact that 23% of the ice melted away is a result of global warming. Inspired by his father who always told him to protect the fragile world we are living in, he decided to swim 1km in the cold water. After one year of mental and physical practice, one year of ups and downs he was ready to swim. And he did it! In 18 minutes and 50 seconds Lewis Pugh swam 1 kilometer in the arctic sea that is -1.7°C cold! After this swim his fingers were as big as sausages and he couldn’t feel them for 4 months, he says, but it was worth it! At the end Lewis Pugh points out his three key-messages how to fight the climate change. 1^st: We have to break down the problem into manageable chunks. 2^nd: We all have to work together. And 3^rd: We have to look back and ask ourselves what kind of world we want to live in!

I really enjoyed watching this Ted Talk as Lewis Pugh is a good speaker and as it was a really interesting topic. I give him a lot of respect for this symbolic swim in freeeeeezing water! Another thing I like about this Ted Talk is that Lewis did not only talk, but that he also showed a 7 minute-long video of his experience in the North Pole. You could really see his passion when he was talking.

All in all this is a really interesting Ted Talk and I recommend it to anyone interested in swimming, the climate change, or the North Pole. It is unbelievable that he actually swam 1km in such cold water!

Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole. Ted Ideas worth spreading. September 2009. Web. 20 April 2012.