Sebastian Copeland

Sebastian Copeland holds four world and Guinness records in the polar regions. He has crossed the Arctic Ocean on foot, the Greenland ice cap in its length and the Antarctica continent in its east to west axis. He has been charged alone by polar bears, fell through the ice in minus forty degrees, and has had frostbites on almost all his extremities. As an award-winning photographer, author, keynote speaker, and conservation advocate, Sebastian Copeland has made the fight for the protection of the environment his life's work.

An international speaker on climate crisis for over a decade, Sebastian has addressed audiences at the United Nations, the World Affairs Council, the General Assembly on Climate in New Orleans, the George Eastman House, Google Headquarters and to Apple's Senior Design Team amongst others. He has appeared on Larry King Live, NPR, ABC, Air America, and Al Gore's Current TV, as a champion of environmental causes. He is an adventurer whose keynotes and extraordinary photographs will entertain and inspire audiences at any conference or event. His talks can be customized to address how motivation in the most antagonistic environments relates to the corporate world and the meaning of giving 100%. He is also an expert on the climate impact on the polar regions, their geopolitical implications, and the urgent need for a market transformation to a sustainable economy. Sebastian Copeland has clocked over 8,000 kilometers under his skis. In 2009 he traveled the Arctic with expedition partner Keith Heger on a journey to reach the North Pole, in hopes of raising awareness to climate change and its effects on the Arctic. The outcome of this voyage is the award-winning documentary Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul. The film captures two men's dramatic expedition to the North Pole in sub-zero temperatures - considered by experts to be the toughest expedition in the world - covering more than 400 miles on foot. A personal and harrowing journey of endurance and commitment, Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul delves into the depth of the soul against the backdrop of the magnificent Great North, and exposes one poignant message: if the Great North goes, so does humanity.

In 2010, Sebastian crossed 2,300 kilometers of the Greenland icecap, setting a Guinness record for the longest distance traveled by skis and kites over 24 hours with 595 kilometers. In 2011-12, over 82 days, Sebastian made the first east-to-west transcontinental crossing of Antarctica. Facing brutal cold, merciless wind and storms, Sebastian covered 4,100 kilometers on skis and kites via two of its poles: the pole of inaccessibility and the south pole.

In 2016, Sebastian completed an unsupported crossing of the Simpson Desert, Australia’s driest area with partner Mark George. The mission was a training exercise for his second mission to the North Pole from Canada, in winter 2017, one of the last of its kind due to the rapidly melting ice. That North Pole mission was dramatically aborted due to severe frostbites. Sebastian aims to repeat his effort in 2021, one which could be the last of its kind from the rapidly melting ice.

As an international speaker on climate crisis, Sebastian has been featured on television and radio (Larry King Live, CBS, NPR, Air America) and has addressed audiences at the United Nations, at the COP21 in Paris, the World Affairs Council, the General Assembly on Climate in New Orleans and the George Eastman House. He has spoken for Hewlett Packard, VF Corp, Canon, BMW, BNP Paribas, Google’s headquarters and to Apple’s Senior Design Team amongst many others. He has addressed universities and museums across the US, and international climate summits on the systemic geopolitical consequences of climate change.

In 2011, Sebastian founded the SEDNA foundation whose mission is to report from the front lines of climate change. Sebastian is a regular contributor to Men’s Journal and The Huffington Post, and Al Gore’s 24 hours of Climate Reality. He has written for various international journals and newspapers. In 2008, Sebastian was named German GQ's Man of the Year for environmental leadership. He is also the recipient of Global Green's Founder's award; Gala's Environmental Stewardship award; and the Cinema For Peace Special award for his environmental work. Sebastian holds a seat on the Board of Directors of President Gorbachev's Global Green USA.

As a renowned photographer, Sebastian's fine quality prints have appeared at the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, Peabody Essex Museum, and the Field Museum among others. These works can also be found in private collections in both Europe and the United States where several are now part of the permanent archive of The Natural World Museum in San Francisco. Sebastian is a recent winner of the prestigious International Photography Awards' Professional Photographer of the Year for his first book, Antarctica: The Global Warning. Sebastian's prints from his first book were also selected to tour as part of the 2006 and 2007 IPA Best of Show collection. His still work has appeared in hundreds of publications worldwide including National Geographic, Men's Journal, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, People, Publisher's Weekly, and USA Today.