What do you think?
Rate this book
Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth's Last Wilderness
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 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 hig
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
6 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 16, 2025
Rather mixed feelings about this. Most of the book was a memoir of events in Swan's life, and the adventurer type does not always come across as likeable. The sections at the end of the book which deal with 2041 and "sustainable leadership" are almost incomprehensible.
Swan is obsessed with Scott of the Antarctic and tends to overrate his influence. Perhaps the legend of Scott was more of a UK phenomenon. A quick informal survey of friends found that none could say who Scott was or what he had done. The question "What does Scott of the Antarctic mean to you?" was met with "Who?".
Swan suggests that to the US audience, Scott might be comparable to Martin Luther King. I find it hard to imagine a more awkward comparison.
The later sections of the book are like a brochure for Swan's tour company.
I wanted to like this book, but really, it is the least interesting book about the Antarctic which I have read to date.
Swan is obsessed with Scott of the Antarctic and tends to overrate his influence. Perhaps the legend of Scott was more of a UK phenomenon. A quick informal survey of friends found that none could say who Scott was or what he had done. The question "What does Scott of the Antarctic mean to you?" was met with "Who?".
Swan suggests that to the US audience, Scott might be comparable to Martin Luther King. I find it hard to imagine a more awkward comparison.
The later sections of the book are like a brochure for Swan's tour company.
I wanted to like this book, but really, it is the least interesting book about the Antarctic which I have read to date.
September 5, 2018
2041 is about the life and adventures of Robert Swan. Growing up in Britain he is inspired by several famous explorers who died walking the frigid region known as Antarctica. Throughout most of his life, he has to beg, borrow, promise to get money so that he and some of this friends can walk across the Antartic. He encounters multiple problems along the way but never gives up. When he is in the Antarctic he even promises to save the continent on the condition that it will let him live. Once completed he decides to walk to the North pole. Upon reaching the North Pole Robert see that direct humanity has had on the pole. The ice was melting earlier than ever, and water was making the crew have a difficult time to reach the pole. Once this adventure was over Robert sees 2041 as the end all, when the UN will relook at the nations of the world digging in Antarctica for precious minerals. Robert at the end of the book begins to go on lectures, visiting various nations around the world, and bringing students to see the South Pole so they can see how to save it. Each person Robert brings to the South pole becomes inspired and is forever changed. His goal is to save Antarctica by 2041 but scientists believe the way things are going we need to act sooner by at least 2020. Robert has shown that when all people work together and use our technology to save the planet some remarkable will happen. We will save the last pristine wilderness on the planet from the problems we have caused to it. We can make it happen we must make it happen.
October 27, 2018
This is excellent!
February 7, 2021
I didn't know much more tgan general clinate change and this book was an adventure. I enjoyed his perspective, chuckled, and was amazed by each chapter. So unusual and I found it as a great read!
April 4, 2021
A truly inspiring story of self-motivation, intuition, perseverance, and honoring humanity through respect for our planet. A must-read for children of all ages!
January 15, 2011
Robert Swan is a man without peer...he is the only man that has ever walked to both the north and south poles, though in his own words he says that it is more accurate to say that he is "the only person stupid enough to have walked to both poles."
"Antarctica 2041" is the telling of how Swan became obsessed (is that too strong a word?...um...no) with the Antarctic as he grew up in Great Britain on the tales of Scott's polar explorations and adventures, and how that obsession led to a promises that he made to himself and to Antarctia - yes, to a continent - that he would do all he could to protect it.
Swan's telling of his early days, adventuring in Africa as a young man, and the efforts he had to make to complete his walk to the south pole are downright engrossing. While this was not the book I thought it would be when I picked up a copy, it turned out to be a great read. I was expecting a much stronger environmental message than the book contains, and less autobiographical storyline than it contains. As it turns out the book is a mix of probably probably 75% autobiography and 25% environmentalism. The stories are engaging, the writing is entertaining, and the experiences Swan recounts are amazing.
I was not aware of the significance of the year 2041 for Antarctica - but thnaks to Swan's work now I do.
Be advised, Swan is not a scientist, he is an adventurer-crusader-activist. He began his adult life seeking after adventures in an effort to follow in Scott's footsteps, and he eventually found purpose in through his adventures. He raises funds to carry on adventuring in the name of environmental activism, and crusades in that cause the only way he knows how...by adventuring and lecturing. I don't say that this is bad, just that Swan is not your typical environmental activist.
As I mentioned before, Swan is not a scientist. And because that is the case I take issue with only one thing in this book (that stems from his lack of scientific training). He stated that some people view global climate change as "just a theory." What he should have said was that some people view global climate change as only a vague possibility or unsubstantiated notion. Global Climate Change is most definitely in the realm of scientific theory - that is, an idea that has been and continues to be thoroughly researched, and, based on that research, the scientific community has clearly concluded that global climate change is occurring.
And, for those who are not trained in the sciences, the best way to intepret something that is referred to by scientists as a scientific theory is this: scientific theory = scientific fact. And something that is only an unsupported or untested scientific idea should be called a hypothesis (a much weaker statement than a theory).
OK, back to Swan...thanks for the look into what's happening at the poles! Thanks for the good work! Carry on!
"Antarctica 2041" is the telling of how Swan became obsessed (is that too strong a word?...um...no) with the Antarctic as he grew up in Great Britain on the tales of Scott's polar explorations and adventures, and how that obsession led to a promises that he made to himself and to Antarctia - yes, to a continent - that he would do all he could to protect it.
Swan's telling of his early days, adventuring in Africa as a young man, and the efforts he had to make to complete his walk to the south pole are downright engrossing. While this was not the book I thought it would be when I picked up a copy, it turned out to be a great read. I was expecting a much stronger environmental message than the book contains, and less autobiographical storyline than it contains. As it turns out the book is a mix of probably probably 75% autobiography and 25% environmentalism. The stories are engaging, the writing is entertaining, and the experiences Swan recounts are amazing.
I was not aware of the significance of the year 2041 for Antarctica - but thnaks to Swan's work now I do.
Be advised, Swan is not a scientist, he is an adventurer-crusader-activist. He began his adult life seeking after adventures in an effort to follow in Scott's footsteps, and he eventually found purpose in through his adventures. He raises funds to carry on adventuring in the name of environmental activism, and crusades in that cause the only way he knows how...by adventuring and lecturing. I don't say that this is bad, just that Swan is not your typical environmental activist.
As I mentioned before, Swan is not a scientist. And because that is the case I take issue with only one thing in this book (that stems from his lack of scientific training). He stated that some people view global climate change as "just a theory." What he should have said was that some people view global climate change as only a vague possibility or unsubstantiated notion. Global Climate Change is most definitely in the realm of scientific theory - that is, an idea that has been and continues to be thoroughly researched, and, based on that research, the scientific community has clearly concluded that global climate change is occurring.
And, for those who are not trained in the sciences, the best way to intepret something that is referred to by scientists as a scientific theory is this: scientific theory = scientific fact. And something that is only an unsupported or untested scientific idea should be called a hypothesis (a much weaker statement than a theory).
OK, back to Swan...thanks for the look into what's happening at the poles! Thanks for the good work! Carry on!
April 2, 2009
Swan's intentions of impacting the climate crisis run parallel to his once crazy intention of trekking to the South Pole. While the physical journey offers many rewarding sights, it is mostly better thought about in hindsight. To paraphrase: it's nice to have climbed a mountain, but not so nice to be climbing a mountain. The monotonous preparation and planning for the journey to the poles is more essential to Swan than the actual trek through punishing cold and ice. The logistical element is what he uses to express the tedious nature of conservation and sustainability - words that are boring in their own right.
Swan also advocates all of us going to Antarctica. Its splendour will make us fully appreciate the current pact that says no drilling under any circumstance - but that expires in 2041.
Swan also advocates all of us going to Antarctica. Its splendour will make us fully appreciate the current pact that says no drilling under any circumstance - but that expires in 2041.
October 12, 2016
this is a fantastic read.
it's the very true story of one incredible individual's journey, both physically and spiritually, through some very demanding challenges.
all framed in the critical lesson that we as a species must make the move to a carbon-free world before we destroy our home.
not really into the climate change thing? read this book anyway and tell yourself it's fiction because it reads like some sort of hybrid of elon musk meets christopher columbus meets terry fox, had he run across the polar caps instead.
i wish i could give this 6 stars.
it's the very true story of one incredible individual's journey, both physically and spiritually, through some very demanding challenges.
all framed in the critical lesson that we as a species must make the move to a carbon-free world before we destroy our home.
not really into the climate change thing? read this book anyway and tell yourself it's fiction because it reads like some sort of hybrid of elon musk meets christopher columbus meets terry fox, had he run across the polar caps instead.
i wish i could give this 6 stars.
May 25, 2012
I read this book 3 years after almost going on an expedition with this man. His life story is incredible and one i would love to follow. This book is interesting for the first 150 pages but by the end i was dragging my self along. this book is for those looking for an inspirational book but do not expect this book to be about some hippie who swims with whales and blows up oil refineries for the good of man kind.
February 20, 2011
It was an amazing tale about history and the environment of Antarctica. Well-worth reading!
Read
August 7, 2018Incredible story of passion, commitment and perseverance. Robert Swan is a renaissance man for the 21st century and champion for taking taking on climate change.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews