Nearly 600 people came to listen to Jean-Louis Etienne in Bozouls, invited for the occasion by Groupama d’Oc, for his conference “Reconnecting with the Earth ecosystem”. The man who became famous for his expeditions around the world, his navigations with Eric Tabarly or for having been, in 1986, the first man to reach the North Pole alone, Jean-Louis Etienne now aims to explore with Polar Pod this area of the Howling 50s where the Antarctic circumpolar currents are strongest.
Jean-Louis Étienne is always full of ideas and projects. Always on the move, in motion. Before his visit to Bozouls, where he attracted more than 600 people invited by Groupama d’Oc for its conference “Reconnecting with the Earth ecosystem”, he was in Lozère, in Mende to also respond to the insurer’s invitation . If he travels all over France to talk about ecology, citizenship and commitment, it is above all to finance his next expedition: Polar Pod.
In a few words, The Polar Pod is an oceanographic vessel project designed and organized by Jean-Louis Étienne, intended for the study of the Southern Ocean which encircles Antarctica, for two years. This ocean is driven by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, a real transmission belt between the waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. With a team of scientists on board this boat worthy of a Jules Verne novel, he intends to measure the impact of global warming but also try to understand how this little-studied area of our planet works.
Entrepreneur
A project a dozen years old, while the Polar Pod must be launched at the end of 2026, beginning of 2027.
Since his victorious expedition in 1986, where he was the first man to reach the North Pole alone, he has continued to work on new explorations, sailing alongside legends of the sea like Eric Tabarly. If his taste for adventure is certain, his expeditions have often demonstrated their educational and scientific vocation.
“I have always been self-taught,” Jean-Louis Étienne likes to say. And yet here, I am like a business manager! Twenty-two employees are responsible for preparing this expedition and all the related aspects.”
But once the Polar Pod project is mentioned, Jean-Louis Étienne quickly returns to his other favorite subject: the fight against climate change, the defense of life. The one who wants to be as much a conveyor of dreams as of knowledge, thus intends to “reconnect with an ecology that brings hope”.
Need for pedagogy
Obviously, the theme of this conference echoes current events and the results of the last European elections where environmental parties are in clear decline in many countries. “We need to do more education, get involved locally. I find that politicians present us with a sad ecology. We must show a path with hope, a light at the end, something desirable,” says Jean-Louis Étienne.
The polar explorer pleads for “an entry into reality, you have to be efficient. When people ask me what we can do, I explain that we must first get involved locally. There are simple solutions to implement on your scale.” In any case, “we cannot waste time, this is a global problem,” insists Jean-Louis Étienne. “We have the intelligence for solutions,” he assures. Everyone can propose and participate in the solution. »
At over 77 years old, the man who also likes to take refuge in his native Tarn, remains a tireless pioneer of projects, with infectious and engaging enthusiasm, in the service of Humanity.
