myclimate: Dario, thank you for taking the time for an interview. Where are you right now?
Dario Schwörer: Skjervøy in Norway, at 70 degrees north. I'm currently getting our boat ready for our next trip.
You have been sailing around the world with your wife and six children for more than 25 years. myclimate has been following your journey all along. It's amazing what you have experienced so far. What motivated you to devote your life so consistently to climate protection – and to do so on a boat, no less?
As a passionate mountain guide, climatologist and father, I saw my "office" melting away in the 1990s, i.e. the glaciers and mountains held together by permafrost. I had to act. In 1999, 26 years ago, we launched the "TOPtoTOP Global Climate Expedition". Our goal was and still is "EXPLORE, INSPIRE, ACT", i.e. to collect examples of climate protection and change in all climate zones and thus inspire schoolchildren to actively participate in a sustainable future. With the expedition, we show that even large-scale undertakings are possible in harmony with nature. We travel on foot, by bicycle and by sail to the highest point of each continent.
You have made it your mission to inspire young people, give them hope and get them excited about climate protection. Is it worth the effort?
We have now reached almost 200,000 schoolchildren with our work. We believe that the best investment is in children. They have the best ideas, represent the future, will be the decision-makers in a few years' time and will shape our planet.
With your sailing boat, you were able to cross passages that were previously frozen all year round and met people whose livelihoods are at risk. How do you deal with experiencing the consequences of climate change first-hand?
It is impressive to see how much ice is currently melting. But it's not just the ice. Climate change is having an impact in all climate zones. Even in the middle of the ocean, weather and sea conditions have changed. Change has always been a part of life, but it is currently happening at breakneck speed, making it difficult to adapt so quickly. What makes me optimistic, however, is the creativity of people and nature in general to adapt. We see schoolchildren from different regions of the world, whom we have visited and brought together thanks to social media, working together on constructive solutions. In this way, global climate change also creates friendships across borders and thus contributes to world peace.
Have there been any encounters that have particularly touched or inspired you?
Whenever people are affected who are not actually contributing to global warming, such as the Kuna people, who have to leave their islands off Panama because sea levels are rising, or the Inuit, who have to shoot their sled dogs because there is no sea ice for them to hunt on. It is right to tackle the problem at its root and focus on reducing CO2 emissions, but we must not forget the people affected! They need more solidarity and help today.
Your journey with your family is currently being shown in cinemas in the film "Home is the Ocean". Does the film show reality?
Director Livia Vonaesch has managed to bring the sea to the cinema. The film focuses on the sea, our ship and our family. However, it largely ignores the fact that we also spend a lot of time cycling and hiking in the mountains. We, the Schwörer family, have been at the heart of the expedition since the beginning, but our family is actually much larger. It consists of many volunteers from 69 different countries who regularly take part in the expedition. Teachers are always particularly welcome for our environmental education projects in schools.
Who would you like to send on a sailing trip to see the consequences of climate change with their own eyes?
After opening a new passage through the Northwest Passage from Hawaii to New York, we received a lot of media coverage in the USA. We then invited Obama and Trump (who had just taken office a few days earlier) onto the Swiss expedition ship to talk about the suffering of the Inuit and polar bears over coffee and cake, on neutral ground, so to speak. Obama responded, but the incumbent president was probably too busy.
What are your next plans?
The last peak, Mount Vinson in Antarctica. And then our children will probably take the helm to work towards a sustainable future for our planet. Our son Noé has already started and has renovated his own steel ship.
myclimate has been supporting the Schwörer family since 2011. Information about their expeditions can be found here: https://toptotop.org/
All information about the film "Home is the Ocean" by Livia Vonaesch can be found here: https://www.home-is-the-ocean.com/
