Home » News » Lewis Pugh Takes on the Challenge of Swimming the Hudson River to Raise Awareness for Healthy Rivers and Oceans

Lewis Pugh Takes on the Challenge of Swimming the Hudson River to Raise Awareness for Healthy Rivers and Oceans

Lewis Pugh, 53, is a former maritime lawyer who now devotes his life to environmental protection. For 10 years, this distinguished swimmer has been “godfather of the oceans” of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

He launched this new challenge to draw attention to the crucial importance of healthy river ecosystems for the oceans and the environment as a whole.

It will take about a month to reach New York, the seat of the United Nations, where on September 20 the ratification of the treaty on the high seas, which aims to protect biodiversity in international waters, will begin.

The 193 UN member states adopted the landmark legally binding agreement in June, after nearly two decades of hard-fought negotiations.

Clean rivers, healthy planet

“If we want healthy oceans, we also need healthy rivers – it’s as simple as that,” explains Lewis Pugh. “Clean rivers are essential in the fight for global sustainability; indeed, our very existence depends on fresh water, clean air and a habitable planet”.

An accomplished endurance swimmer, this Briton has braved some of the toughest environments on the planet, including Antarctica, the North Pole, the Red Sea and the Himalayas. He is the first to have swum a long distance in all the oceans of the world.

“I chose the Hudson because of the environmental progress made in recent years on this iconic waterway,” he said. “There is still a lot of work to do, but tangible improvements have been made, setting an example for the restoration of rivers around the world.”

© The Lewis Pugh Foundation

UNEP ocean advocate Lewis Pugh swims in New York’s Hudson River (file photo).

To the Atlantic Ocean without assistance

Lewis Pugh will be swimming unassisted, meaning he will only be wearing a bathing suit, cap and goggles. In comparison, assisted swimmers use equipment such as a wetsuit, snorkel, gloves, fins, and paddles.

His 507 km journey will begin with short stops at the source of the Hudson River, Lake Tear of the Clouds, located in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. Along the way, he will meet dramatic topological changes, strong river currents and potentially toxic sewage flows during heavy rains.

“The Hudson is truly majestic, but like most rivers it starts out as a trickle of water over fairly rough terrain, so this swim will have to start on foot to get over rocks and very dense vegetation,” he explains.

“This terrain quickly transforms into whitewater rapids and waterfalls that demand respect, so my expedition team and I carefully study every nook and cranny of the river.”

On average 16 km of swimming per day

Lewis Pugh has therefore decided when he will have to bypass impassable rapids, to walk or run. He plans to swim an average of 16 km per day, depending on conditions.

It will bear the UNEP logo. UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen expressed “her pride” and wished him “strength, endurance and perseverance” for the weeks to come.

“Garbage, sewage, chemicals and plastic waste not only pollute rivers and harm the species that live there; these contaminants are transported to the sea, where they do even more damage,” says Andersen.

“Just as we need to ensure our arteries aren’t clogged for our health, we need to ensure that the planet’s arteries aren’t clogged for its health.”

2023-08-10 19:44:49
#swimming #protection #rivers #oceans

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