Parker Liautaud

Parker Liautaud is a polar explorer and climate change campaigner. He has undertaken three expeditions to the North Pole and one to the South Pole. In 2013, Parker led the Willis Resilience Expedition. During the two-part journey, he and his team crossed Antarctica from coast to coast – 1900km – in a custom-built scientific support vehicle conducting research on the climate system, and then completed the fastest human-powered trek to the South Pole – 565km – becoming the youngest man to walk to the pole at the time.

The expedition implemented a 16-episode live broadcast dedicated to climate change, which hosted 25 debates and discussions with leading experts from the scientific community, the private sector, NGOs, and government. It also featured daily live streaming video from the expedition to engage with followers on climate change issues, as well as live discussions from Antarctica with anchors on television programs such as The Weather Channel’s Morning Rush, CNN’s New Day, ABC’s Good Morning America, and CNBC’s Squawk Box.

Through his expeditions, Parker has partnered with leading academic institutions, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, GNS New Zealand, and others to conduct research on the climate system.

Parker has also worked closely with the United Nations Foundation on the communication of climate science, including during the release of the first working group of the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.