With the UN Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates underway, episode 4 of Awake at Night features Lewis Pugh, a leading figure in efforts to protect the oceans.
Pugh has never been afraid to take the plunge. The record-breaking cold-water swimmer has completed long distance swims at both of the Earth’s poles, in the Red Sea, and along the length of the Hudson River to spread a message of habitat renewal and conservation.
“The first thing that happens is I can't breathe and I’m gasping for air. And the cold just grips its way around you. And you just got to try and control your mind, because there's a moment when you feel like panicking because there's nothing like this,” he says.
Now, he is the Ocean Advocate for the United Nations Environment Programme.
In this episode, Pugh reflects on his love for the water, on his breath-taking swims, and on breaking the diplomatic ice to create the world’s largest marine park.
“Everything relies on us being able to drink clean water and breathe fresh air and live and take care of this planet so it's habitable," says Pugh. "Everything else is secondary. This is about sustaining life on Earth.”
Healthy oceans, seas and rivers are essential to supporting life - providing food, medicine, and acting as the world’s largest carbon sink.
To listen to the podcast and find out more, tune in on your favourite podcast platform or visit the Awake at Night website.
About “Awake at Night”:
The UN podcast Awake at Night is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps, to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.
