There is nothing more powerful than the made-up mind.

If we pass on an unsustainable environment to our children we have failed them.

Ultimately I wanted to be a pioneer swimmer, a distant descendant of Scott, Amundsen and Hillary, except that I would be an explorer of the water.

The days of exploration of Shackleton and Scott are long gone. Everything has been climbed, crossed, done. Now what we're exploring are the full boundaries of human endeavour. It's not physical - it's all in the head.

I think that I was slightly naive. I thought that if I showed people the beauty of the Arctic and the beauty of the polar bears that they would care so much that they would stand up and try to make a change.

The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations is our most important human right.

Going against the tide has never been difficult for me. It wasn't even a conscious decision but the natural consequence of following my own instinct.