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Winner of inaugural Shackleton Medal, glacier scientist Dr. Heïdi Sevestre inspires international audiences to take action against climate change
In addition to receiving the newly-cast Shackleton Medal, Dr. Sevestre is awarded a prize of £10,000 as a contribution towards her ongoing work in the polar regions.
Launched on 5th January, the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton's death, the Shackleton Medal began with a public nomination process before the judging panel whittled down a long list to nine finalists.
Dr Sevestre was selected for her exemplary scientific work, achievements as an expedition leader in extreme environments, her work as a founder member of with Climate Sentinels and most impressively her outreach campaigns, documentaries and lobbying with geo-political groups, national leaders and governments.
Chair of the Judges Lewis Dartnell said: "Following an incredibly tough judging process, looking through the careers and impact of nine quite extraordinary humans, whose work is category-leading in the protection of the polar regions, we arrived at a unanimous vote. Dr Sevestre stood out for her fierce and uncompromising approach to driving change in the polar regions. She understands people and more importantly the emotional connection we all have with our planet. Her work in unlocking this passion in the world, combined with her frontline scientific research, make her the ideal candidate to inspire more individuals to prioritise the climate change fight."
On accepting her award, Dr. Sevestre said: "I am so honoured to receive the very first Shackleton Medal. To be associated with the great man, is an honour. We need his strong-willed perseverance more than ever. We have to continuously fight to connect people with what we study, with the magnitude of what is currently taking place. As a polar scientist, you face extreme environments on a day-to-day basis. Sadly I have lost colleagues who are trying to study how quickly things are changing. The speed of the changes means conditions are becoming more and more dangerous. When you read the news, you can either be depressed, give up…or you can use this energy, this rage to make a difference. It's now, or never."
Last year, Dr. Sevestre led an all-female-scientist expedition, Climate Sentinels, to document the effect of the dramatic changes in snow and ice conditions. She has made it her mission to talk to everyone from schoolchildren to heads of state about how to tackle global warming and designed the expedition to be on skis so it was completely carbon neutral. Yet the team of six scientists found themselves battling winds of more than 140 km/h and violent blizzards – freak conditions for April. They needed to use all their ingenuity to stay alive, at one point burying themselves in the snow to protect themselves from a storm that approached them when they were high up on a plateau.
At the end of a four-month process, Martin Brooks , co-founder of Shackleton, said: "Dr. Sevestre stood out for her courage, leadership, considerable achievements and sheer determination. I could not be more proud to award the very first Shackleton Medal to this rising star of the polar world. Not only is she proactive in protecting the polar regions on the frontline with her groundbreaking research, but her courageous and Shackleton-esque spirit in driving proactive change through discourse and diplomacy, with leaders across the world. I'm quite simply in awe of her energy, intellect and day-to-day achievements. I hope she can inspire many more people to follow in her footsteps. Congratulations Dr. Sevestre - our very first Shackleton Medal winner."
Plans are underway for the 2023 Shackleton Medal are already underway with the event set to become an annual award in the global climate change calendar.
For more information head to Shackleton.com .
Dirt & Glory Media - Nigel Brown - Nigel.Brown@DirtandGloryMedia.com