Polar explorer Robert Swan welcomed into Rotterdam harbour
Rotterdam, 9 November 2009 - Polar explorer and environmentalist Robert Swan arrived in the Netherlands with his ship the 2041 this afternoon, one month before the climate summit in Copenhagen begins.
At the invitation of RWE and Essent, Swan moored his ship in Rotterdam harbour. He was assisted in this by the Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven. It was also from Rotterdam harbour that Robert Swan, now passing through on his way to the climate summit in Copenhagen, set sail ten years ago.
RWE and Essent are supporting Robert Swan and his organization, 2041, which is dedicated to climate protection, preservation of Antarctica and sustainable energy. RWE put up the wind turbines by means of which the research station E-Base on Antarctica is supplied with sustainable energy. Employees also joined in on a polar expedition.
"Robert Swan is inspiring us to further develop sustainable sources of energy. His dedication to solving the climate problem motivates us all", says Ulrich Jobs, COO of RWE, who is looking forward to the climate summit. "I call upon the political leaders at the climate summit to pave the way to more international measures to protect the climate. Measures falling under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto protocol: RWE is involved in more than 100 CDM projects worldwide, by means of which greenhouse gas emissions are being driven down. We want to do more and are calling upon politicians to give this cause their all. Through these projects we can make international advances and, in addition to this, continue to improve our own energy production."
Peter Terium, CEO Essent: "In recent years, Essent and RWE have achieved a lot in the field of sustainability and will definitely continue to do so. We are collaborating on initiatives like electric transport, wind energy and biomass - a fuel with which Essent is making an important contribution to the objectives agreed at European level to generate electricity in a sustainable manner." Peter Terium adds: "If we wish to fulfil the climate objectives set for 2020, the use of biomass as a substitute fuel for coal is necessary. Apart from that, a stable government policy is also required, as is being able to develop (offshore) wind farms on time. In the coming years we will be investing an average of 1 billion Euros a year in sustainable energy in Europe."
Robert Swan: "After ten years sailing our ship the 2041 on our Voyage for Cleaner Energy, we're back in Rotterdam. It is a special moment for us and a milestone for our mission to protect the climate and preserve Antarctica, to which the business world is contributing by dedicating itself to energy-saving and sustainable energy. Hats off to the 2041 team and I'd like to thank RWE for the support we've received."
About 2041
2041 was set up by Robert Swan with the aim of organizing an annual expedition to the Antarctic to inspire people to take on extraordinary challenges to preserve our planet through leadership, cooperation and personal development. The ‘Voyage for Cleaner Energy’ is part of Robert Swan's dedication to climate protection, preservation of Antarctica and sustainable energy. Robert Swan named his ship the ‘2041’, after the year in which the environmental protocol of the Antarctic Treaty will be reviewed. Through his organization, Swan wants to prevent the world deciding in 2041 to open this unique nature reserve up to extraction of minerals and fossil fuels.
More information on ‘2041’