Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness [Hardcover]

Robert Swan (Author), Gil Reavill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2009

Adventurer turned environmentalist Robert Swan illuminates the perils facing the planet come 2041—the year when the international treaty protecting Antarctica is up for review—and the many steps that can be taken to avoid environmental calamity.

In 1985, when Robert Swan walked across Antarctica, the fragile polar environment was not high in his mind. But upon his return, the earth’s perilous state became personal: Robert’s ice-blue eyes were singed a pale gray, a result of being exposed to the sun’s rays passing unfiltered through the depleted ozone layer. At this moment, his commitment to preserving the environment was born, and in Antarctica 2041 Swan details his journey to awareness, and his firm belief that humans can reverse the harm done to the planet thus far, and secure its future for generations to come.

Despite the dire warnings Swan raises in Antarctica 2041—exponentially high greenhouse-gas levels; rising seas; massive species extinction—he says there is much we can do to avert looming disaster. Ultimately an upbeat call to action, his book provides the information people need to understand the world’s crisis, and the tools they need to combat it, ultimately showing us all that saving Antarctica amounts to saving ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British explorer and conservationist Swan accounts for the inspiration, execution and purpose of his expeditions to visit the South and North Poles. In 1967, at the age of 11, Swan saw the 1948 film Scott of the Antarctic, and became obsessed with the doomed expedition of its iconic hero, Captain Robert F. Scott. Naming his 1985 expedition "In the Footsteps of Scott," Swan successfully retraced the captain's 900 mile trek to the South Pole. In a subsequent hike to the North Pole (another 500 mile trip), Swan became the first person to have walked to both poles. He recounts big adventures, and setbacks almost as big (his first ship was crushed by polar ice, leaving him with a $1.2 million debt), on his journey to becoming a committed conservationist, dedicated to curbing climate change and preventing the exploitation of the Arctic and Antarctic (2041 is the year that the international treaty protecting Antarctica comes up for review). Though he describes his Antarctic expedition as a "ridiculous undertaking-a twenty-something nobody raising five million dollars to embark on a useless quest," Swan's valuable lessons and thrilling narrative make it clear his efforts were far from fruitless.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

ROBERT SWAN is the first person to have walked to both the North and South Poles. An active lecturer, he regularly leads Antarctic expeditions. He divides time between London, New York, and Antarctica.
GIL REAVILL has coauthored many books including Tiki by Tiki Barber and Steve and Me by Terri Irwin.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767931750
• ISBN-13: 978-0767931755
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sorely lacking in details and insight, only mildly interesting, January 28, 2010

By 

Michael Meredith "e-Mike" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I can appreciate Robert Swan's enthusiasm for the environment, I really can. And I agree with his overall principles. But couldn't he have at least written (or co-written) an interesting account? By the time you get past the recounting of his walks to the South and North Poles, you almost want to say "is that all there is?"

It's nice that Swan's inspiration for his adventures comes from the 1948 movie "Scott of the Antarctic", but by the 28th time that he refers to it you have to wonder how often he mentioned it to his fellow adventurers during the long nights in a frozen tent.

The details just aren't there. Two polar treks and the efforts in putting them together consume only about a hundred pages or so. I've gleened more insight into endurance and adventures at cocktail parties. Had he been the sole author, I might just chalk it up to poor writing ability. But he had the assistance of Gil Reavill, a writer of experience. Were there collaboration problems?

Nonetheless, Swan's message about the fragility of our polar regions and their importance to our daily life is not one that should be discounted. Unfortunately, there are a lot of far more interesting works that convey the same message.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read, But More An Autobiography Than A Book About Antartica, December 27, 2009

By 

Alexander Lucard (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Just a quick note - The uncorrected proof I am reviewing was very flimsy and pages were falling out left and right through my reading of this book. As this is an Advance Reading Copy and not the for sale copy, this will not affect my review, but just a head's up to readers that the binding of their copy might be just as weak.

I really enjoyed reading this book, as I've always had a sense of wonder when it came to Antartica. Although I was happy to read about Robert Swan's walks across both the Artic and Antartic, I was a bit disappointed that so little of the book was about Antartica itself and the problems that currently plague this (mostly) untouched tundra. Instead the book really focuses on both the explorers that came before Swan which made such an impression on his psyche that he decided to follow in their footsteps and Swan's own trips to the coldest places on Earth. Only about a third of the book actually features Swan's "Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness." Now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Swan's recollections of his life and how he could have had a typical British Upper Middle Class life without any real cares, goals or dreams and traded that in for a life of adventure and trying to get people to be passionate about a part of the planet they will most likely never see. However, I wanted a lot more substance on what is going on with Antartica. Instead, these aspects were only barely touched on and most of that space was devoted to stories about raising awareness through boat races or condom useage in Africa. Again, these are well told and fun to read about, but nothing within the title of the book is ever more than glanced over, which is a bit of a misnomer in my opinion.

I loved learning about the treks and what Swan has done to introduce Antartica to children, but I would have really liked more depth about Antartica and less about his own personal life and battle with booze.

Good book, but know what you are in for before sitting down with it.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Earth's Last Wilderness - A Journey to Awareness, October 10, 2009

By 

Richard R. Blake (Bridgman, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Robert Swan, the first person to have walked both the North and South Poles, and Gil Reavill, coauthor of "Tiki" by Tiki Barber, and "Steve and Me" by Terri Irwin, have collaborated in this effort to create an exciting adventure story and a highly readable glimpse into the history, discovery, and early explorations of the polar regions of Antarctica.

A look at Swan's own biographical history reveals how during his childhood he watched movies of the swashbuckling heroic explorers and of his personal admiration of James Clark Ross, Robert F. Scott, Ernest Shakleton, and Roald Amundsen.

In an attempt to pay tribute to these men Swan organized an expedition tracing their historical exploits in his own walk to the South Pole. In an unexpected twist of fate, Swan's successful accomplishment met with financial failure.

Swan persisted and committed himself to be an influence in creating a change in the current environmental trends resulting from greenhouse-gas emissions leading to global warming and a cataclysmic world crisis.

In 2041 the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty is scheduled to be reviewed and potentially may be modified. Swan has organized Antarctica 2041 in an effort to insure the continued protection of the Antarctic Treaty to preserve this last great wilderness to be conserved for future generations.

I cannot attest to the scientific or historical accuracy nor provide an adequate analysis of Swan's conclusions, however, his message is convincing. I appreciated his self deprecating humor, his persistence and tenacity in pursuing his dreams, his insights into sustained leadership, and his careful detail to the history of polar explorations and expeditions.

Gil's Reavill's writing style and communication skills are unimpeachable. I was hooked by the middle of the second page.