Three cheers for UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador, Dr Bertrand Piccard, who is today made an Officer of the French Legion of Honour after the success of the Solar Impulse round-the-world flight.
Dr Piccard was born into a dynasty of explorers and scientists who have conquered the heights and depths of our planet. His grandfather was the first person to see the curvature of the earth by taking a balloon into the stratosphere. His father designed deep sea exploration vessels and took them further into the depths of the ocean than anyone before him.
Since then, Dr Piccard has continued this line of astonishing achievements by being the first person to circumnavigate the world in a non-stop balloon flight in 1999, and by envisioning and carrying out the world’s first solar-powered round-the-world flight, which ended successfully in 2016.
His plane, the Solar Impulse 2, touched down in Abu Dhabi last July, having flown more than 40,000km using only the power from 17,000 solar fuel cells on its wings.
During the journey, Dr Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borshberg, who took it in turns to fly the single-seater plane, averaged around 50kph over 24 days. By climbing to almost 30,000 feet during sunlight hours, and then cruising down to around 5,000 feet when it got dark, they were able to maximise energy use.
“Through exploration and innovation, Dr Piccard and the Solar Impulse team have pushed the boundaries of renewable energy technology and inspired a generation,” said Eric Solheim, Head of UN Environment. “Their pioneering flight will go down in history as a moment then the world was shown that when it comes to protecting our planet, the sky’s the limit.”
In addition to his work as an aeronaut and explorer, Dr Piccard is an internationally renowned psychiatrist, lecturer and chairman of the Winds of Hope charitable foundation. As a UN Environment Champion of the Earth and Goodwill Ambassador, he has also been a tireless champion for sustainable energy and action on climate change.
The Légion d’Honneur is France’s highest order of merit, and Dr Piccard will be given his award by the President of the French Republic, Mr. François Hollande, during a private ceremony.
