Why I Chose to Celebrate Dr Sylvia Earle’s 90th in the Arctic
I first met Dr Sylvia Earle and felt something shift. Her presence is both gentle and steely, proof that courage can be quiet and conviction is a daily choice. She never romanticises the sea; she invites us to take responsibility for it. That invitation stayed with me.
Why this journey, why now
Marking her 90th birthday aboard the vessel that bears her name, in the Arctic, felt exactly right. The high north is climate in fast-forward. What melts there raises seas here. What changes there destabilises weather everywhere. Standing beside Sylvia in that landscape was a way to honour her life’s work and to recommit to mine.
Spending time on this expedition with Her Deepness, Dr Sylvia Earle, has been one of the great privileges of my life. She is a living legend of ocean exploration and an undaunted advocate for our planet’s fragile blue heart. To be in her presence is to feel hope — real, actionable hope. She reminds us it is not too late to protect what remains, to restore what we have lost, and to chart a different course.
A map written in ice
We set off from Longyearbyen, a community living with shifting seasons and fragile supply lines. We pressed north beyond 80 degrees, traced the edges of vast ice like Austfonna, and listened to the story that sea ice tells. The Arctic is warming several times faster than the global average. Less reflective ice means more dark ocean absorbing heat, which then drives more melt. You can feel that feedback loop in the air and under your feet.
One morning the hull tapped gently against brash ice, like glass chiming. Far off, a glacier calved with a crack you felt in your ribs. Beauty and warning in the same breath.
Many voices, one mission
This journey was made even more special by the 98 remarkable companions on board — scientists, artists, musicians, investors, oceanographers — a true chorus of perspectives and skills. It was a living testament to what is possible when diverse voices gather around one mission: safeguarding the planet for future generations.
Listening to Sylvia speak, sharing meals and quiet reflections, I was struck again and again by her unwavering belief in our capacity to change, to care, and to act meaningfully. She makes you believe that the impact we can have is profound, if we choose to fight for it.
As a woman, I am inspired by her pioneering spirit and by the way she has led — with courage, conviction, grace, and deep empathy. She has shown generations that our voices matter in the fight for the planet, and that bold leadership is needed more than ever.
Knowing leads to caring, caring leads to doing
Sylvia often says that knowing is the key to caring, and caring is the key to doing. This expedition was about knowing better. We learned from scientists and image-makers, and we listened to local women leaders in Longyearbyen about how thawing permafrost and changing ice are reshaping daily life. Place-based conversations create better action. Start with listening, then bridge community insight, science, and finance.
A generational lens
My daughter Angeline joined as a Next Gen storyteller. Watching her film the Arctic’s sharp light and quiet distances reminded me who we are accountable to. Story can open the door to policy, to investment, to behaviour change. That is how culture moves.
What I carried home
I went north to celebrate a hero and returned with three commitments.
Protect what protects us
Blue-carbon ecosystems, polar ice, and healthy oceans regulate our climate and feed communities. We must scale marine protection, strengthen enforcement, and back the science that preserves these systems.Resource women on the front lines
Women are often first responders in climate stress. When we invest in their leadership and livelihoods, resilience follows — from the Arctic to coastal Fiji.Mobilise capital with urgency
The solutions exist. We need faster deployment into clean energy, nature-based restoration, and community resilience. My work sits at the intersection of community, capital, and storytelling. I convene people who care, direct resources to solutions, and raise the kind of visibility that accelerates change.
A birthday that felt like a beginning
Turning 90 at sea is pure Sylvia. Curious, humble, courageous. She reminds us that leadership is not a title, it is a practice. Honour is not applause, it is follow-through.
Thank you, Sylvia, for your wisdom, your relentless optimism, and your extraordinary example. You inspire me to keep building alliances for nature and to work for the future we all deserve.
If you are wondering what to do next
Learn: watch a talk by Dr Earle, read about polar feedback loops, ask why the Arctic matters to your city.
Support: back ocean protection and women-led resilience programmes, volunteer a skill, fund a project.
Mobilise: bring your company, family office, or classroom into the work. Money is a tool. Networks are leverage. Stories are engines.
The Arctic is not remote. It is connected to every coastline, every market, every kitchen table. We honour Sylvia Earle by showing up, learning deeply, and moving together from wonder to work.
