Lewis Pugh completes Greenland protest swim to highlight climate crisis

UN Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh has completed his protest swim in Greenland ahead of the UN climate talks set to be held in Glasgow in November.

The endurance swimmer, who has spent the past 15 years calling for politicians to commit to protecting the oceans and react meaningfully to climate change, swam a total of 4.8-miles (7.8km) in the Ilulissat Icefjord in 14 sessions over 12 days, braving water temperatures ranging between 0C and 3C (32F-37.4F).

I’ve completed the #ClimateSwim. 12 days, 7.8 gruelling kms. I am relieved, exhausted, cold. And worried.

The melting we’ve seen on the Greenland Ice Sheet will impact all of us. We have a very small window to act. We need all hands on deck to solve the Climate Crisis. #COP26 pic.twitter.com/Y7FJkeQO08

— Lewis Pugh (@LewisPugh) September 7, 2021

Announcing on twitter that he had completed the challenge, Pugh wrote: “I have completed the #ClimateSwim. 12 days, 7.8 gruelling kms. I am relieved, exhausted, cold. And worried. The melting we’ve seen on the Greenland Ice Sheet will impact all of us. We have a very small window to act. We need all hands on deck to solve the Climate Crisis”.

Lewis is calling for 30% of the world’s oceans to be protected by 2030, to help tackle the climate crisis and make the seas more resilient to global warming.

Ahead of his toughest swim yet, Stacey McGowan Holloway attended Lewis’ 10-day training camp in Iceland, learning why this swim is so important and how he trains to withstand repeated swims in water as low as 0-degrees Celsius. Read more in the new issue of Outdoor Swimmer magazine.