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Activists Around the World: Dr. Heidi Sevestre · Stuff Mom Never Told You

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Steff.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: I never told you protection to buy her radio.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: And for this activist around the world, we wanted to
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  Speaker 2: bring someone who actually we mentioned we did a very
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: small blip in a twenty twenty four episode that highlighted
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: several different activists and scientists around the world. So I
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  Speaker 2: took it a little more time. I was like, you
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  Speaker 2: know what, let's talk about this one a little more
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: in depth and look at her work. So from our
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: earlier episode, here's a bit of information on her and
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  Speaker 2: who is her. She we're talking about doctor Heidi Selvestra,
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  Speaker 2: who is a climate activist. She is a glaciologist who
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: works at the Arctic Monitory and Assessment Program, a map
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  Speaker 2: working group of the Arctic count with a PhD from France,
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  Speaker 2: who is a pioneer in researching and studying glaciers around
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  Speaker 2: the world. Doctor Silvestra has been bringing attention to the
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  Speaker 2: causes of climate change and its impact. So she is
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  Speaker 2: a bead in general. Everything that I've seen of her,
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  Speaker 2: I'm like, damn, damn. Okay, And here's some more information
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  Speaker 2: from hersite. Heidisilvestra dot com. I'm a glaciologist fellow International
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  Speaker 2: of the Explorers Club working at the Secretariat of AMAP.
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  Speaker 2: I am an avid science communicator and lead several expeditions
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  Speaker 2: to cold and icy places every year. I say this
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  Speaker 2: should be a sminy episode where we go on in
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  Speaker 2: an adventure, an expedition with her. Annie.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Listen, you know part of the reason I have this
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  Speaker 1: job yet at all is I wanted to go to Antarctica.
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  Speaker 2: I'm just saying. We talked about this at the very beginning.
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  Speaker 2: I think this is why she came into mind when
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  Speaker 2: we did that episode, and because you had talked about
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  Speaker 2: loving and wanting to study these areas, wanting to go
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  Speaker 2: to Antarctica. You almost went to anastica. And I'm like,
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  Speaker 2: as cold as it sounds, And y'all, it was so
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: cold this morning here in Atlanta. It was below twenty,
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  Speaker 2: which is not usual for us.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: This is very rare.
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  Speaker 2: That my dog Peaches went outside, came back in. She
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  Speaker 2: only went out for like four or five minutes, came
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  Speaker 2: back in, and I thought there was like something in
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  Speaker 2: her beard, like a leaf or a pine straw. No,
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  Speaker 2: it was ice that came from her drool nostril. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: it threw me off. I've never seen that happen with
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  Speaker 2: her outside of when we were in snow. Snow, but like.
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  Speaker 1: Cold, it's that cold.
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  Speaker 2: But with all of that, and as much as I
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  Speaker 2: hate that, I would love to take an expedition with her. Oh,
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  Speaker 2: she has got the right equipment, and since she leaves these,
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  Speaker 2: I think she does it for scientists. But still we
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  Speaker 2: can we can say we're scientists, but we're in it
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  Speaker 2: for the science. Yes, sign this up anyway, and the
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  Speaker 2: site continues with a bit of history of her life.
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  Speaker 2: It says Heidi was born in Utsavoy in the French Alps.
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  Speaker 2: She was raised by her parents, who had a deep
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  Speaker 2: love for skiing, climbing, and mountaineering. Her upbringing involved spending
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  Speaker 2: a significant amount of time in the mountains, surrounded by nature.
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  Speaker 2: When she reached the age of seventeen, Heidi found herself
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  Speaker 2: contemplating how to transform her passion into a viable career.
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  Speaker 2: It was during this period that she cross paths with
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  Speaker 2: a Swiss mountain guide who introduced her to the idea
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  Speaker 2: that quote some individuals actually get paid to study glaciers.
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  Speaker 2: This encounter prompted her to make a resolute decision. She
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  Speaker 2: was determined to devote her life to the study of
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  Speaker 2: glaciers and yeah and yeah, boyd has she so. Her
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  Speaker 2: college education started with her pursuing degrees in geography and
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  Speaker 2: urban planning, which led her to study abroad in the
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  Speaker 2: northernmost university in the world in Svalbard, which began her
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  Speaker 2: curiosity of the Arctic. So it not really began, but
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  Speaker 2: really emphasized her curiosity. This would be the beginning of
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  Speaker 2: her studies and her expedition within the Arctic and Himalayas,
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  Speaker 2: and as her site states, her path eventually led her
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  Speaker 2: back to Skaalbard for her PhD research focused on the
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  Speaker 2: dynamics of surging glaciers. One of the reasons she popped
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  Speaker 2: back up on my radar is due to my recent
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: watching of the National Geographic special Arctic Assent with Alex Hanauld,
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  Speaker 2: which if you don't know much about him, he's been
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  Speaker 2: in the headlines recently any because he just free climbed
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  Speaker 2: the highest building in Taiwan. There's a Netflix special on him,
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  Speaker 2: and he is a free climber that has gone all
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  Speaker 2: over the world, making history and breaking records with his
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  Speaker 2: free climbing skills. It freaks me out when I watched
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  Speaker 2: this and while watching this special, it freaked me out
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  Speaker 2: because he had to He and several other climbers and
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  Speaker 2: did this with her and several other scientists, and watching
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  Speaker 2: them free climb a mountain that has never been climbed before,
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  Speaker 2: with lots of loose rocks, with no like navigated preparations,
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  Speaker 2: I was like, oh my god, it was fascinating to watch.
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  Speaker 2: So on with that, it featured him, along with doctor
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  Speaker 2: Silvestra and others, adventuring to obtain more materials for the
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  Speaker 2: study of the Arctics. So they were studying new ranges
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  Speaker 2: and mountains for climate change purposes and having to do
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  Speaker 2: this for the first time in this specific area. So
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  Speaker 2: from Malaca Pictures dot com they write. In the documentary
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  Speaker 2: series Arctic Ascent with Alex Hanould, produced for Disney Plus,
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  Speaker 2: doctor Heidi Silvestro played a crucial role as the scientific
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  Speaker 2: expert on the team. The series follows renowned climber Alex
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  Speaker 2: Hanould and his fellow adventurers at the as they tackle
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  Speaker 2: Greenland's remote and rugged peaks, with Sylvestra providing vital scientific
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  Speaker 2: insights throughout the expedition while the climbers were focused on
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  Speaker 2: submitting the towering mccortlack seacliff. Yeah, that was a hard word.
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  Speaker 2: That took a minute. Uh. Sylvester's mission was to study
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  Speaker 2: the surrounding ice, collecting data that would contribute to a
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  Speaker 2: deeper understanding of how high climate change is impacting this
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  Speaker 2: fragile region. Sylvestra's involvement in the expedition was not just
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  Speaker 2: about gathering data, it was about bringing scientific rigor to
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  Speaker 2: an extreme environment. She worked closely with the team, including
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  Speaker 2: security expert Aldocaine and greenlanded guide Adam Kulssen, to ensure
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  Speaker 2: that the scientific objectives were met without compromising the safety
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  Speaker 2: or integrity of the climb. Silvestri's work on the ice
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  Speaker 2: fields of Greenland allowed her to capture real time measurements
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  Speaker 2: of ice thickness and density, providing invaluable data for climate models.
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  Speaker 2: So in this documentary Anny, they go down into a
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  Speaker 2: glacier where one of the floods and the waterfalls happening
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  Speaker 2: as it's melting, and they're having to put measuring equipments
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  Speaker 2: down there, and they get stuck because their equipment gets
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  Speaker 2: frozen over and they're stuck for a minute, try to
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  Speaker 2: climb back out. I was freaking out. I was also
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  Speaker 2: very cold. I was very glad from my electric blanket
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  Speaker 2: because it was such an intense, uh endeavor that I
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  Speaker 2: was like, what is she doing. She's actually climbing, and
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  Speaker 2: she does. She actually climbs these walls with them and
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  Speaker 2: closes to like to get a lot of data, get
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  Speaker 2: the rock samples. It was fascinating because as much as
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  Speaker 2: I know there's adventure in science, man, yeah I don't.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know if I could rock climb for the
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  Speaker 2: sake of that trying to with all of her tools too,
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  Speaker 2: so she had to have drills, and I think, of
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  Speaker 2: course they all helped her, but I was just like a.
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  Speaker 1: Damn, yeah, it's scary too. Now I went I went
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  Speaker 1: on my big mountaineering natural disaster kick a couple of
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  Speaker 1: years ago, and I learned a lot. And I learned
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  Speaker 1: that you can't trust like ice, especially you don't know
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  Speaker 1: it's just going to break right or there's a lot
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  Speaker 1: of danger involves.
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  Speaker 2: Right in the Yes, it was intense and having her
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  Speaker 2: watching her do it for the name of science was
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  Speaker 2: just incredible. So again the documentary was such a fascinating
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  Speaker 2: watch the levels of adventure in her work, and again adventure,
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  Speaker 2: I mean risk in danger, so you know, put it
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  Speaker 2: out you as you will. And her expeditions have taken
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  Speaker 2: her to so many different places again including Himalayas, Greenland
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  Speaker 2: in the coldest month and Acancagua, which I just learned existed,
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  Speaker 2: I'm sorry, And to Antarctica several times. So she's been
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  Speaker 2: a few times. And speaking of which she's right there
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  Speaker 2: right now, and again this is from her site and
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  Speaker 2: it's talking about under Antarctica. So she wrote her adventures
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  Speaker 2: so October twenty eighth, twenty twenty five, so it begins.
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  Speaker 2: After three years of preparation, training and persistence, Matthew Turdeau
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  Speaker 2: and I are finally setting off to Antarctica. For the
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  Speaker 2: next three months, we'll travel more than four thousand kilometers
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  Speaker 2: by kite ski cross the White Continent to carry out
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  Speaker 2: a scientific mission unlike any other under the auspices of
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  Speaker 2: UNESCO for the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences. Together,
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  Speaker 2: we'll scan the Arctic ice with two ground penetrating radars
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  Speaker 2: to better understand how the frozen heart of our planet
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  Speaker 2: is responding to climate change. But Under Antarctica is about
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  Speaker 2: far more than adventure. Through our educational program developed with
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  Speaker 2: timoin Plais. We're bringing youth from around the world along
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  Speaker 2: with us. Oh my god, that's amazing, turning this expedition
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  Speaker 2: into a living classroom for the next generation of explorers,
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  Speaker 2: scientists and dreamers. So I love everything about that that
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  Speaker 2: they are taking people with them, They're taking the younger
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  Speaker 2: generations with them to continue this work. I wonder what
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  Speaker 2: these teenagers, these students are thinking, because, oh my god,
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  Speaker 2: what an opportunity.
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  Speaker 1: That would be so cool.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, And actually you can check out there expedition and
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  Speaker 2: what's going on now. It's under Antarctica dot com. When
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  Speaker 2: I clicked on it, it shows the last dates and such
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  Speaker 2: from being the twenty first of this month, so January
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  Speaker 2: twenty first, twenty twenty six. It just talks about what's
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  Speaker 2: happening where they're at, the temperature which is like negative
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  Speaker 2: twelve celsius right now where they are, So it's not
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  Speaker 2: been updated since then, so hopefully we'll get an update soon.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: But you can see what they're doing and how it's
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: going for them. And from that same article from Maleca
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  Speaker 2: Pictures dot com, they talk about her again, her work,
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  Speaker 2: her influence, and just what she's doing for the future
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  Speaker 2: and the future of people and young people with her work,
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  Speaker 2: so they say. Doctor Heidi Sivestra's career is marked by
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  Speaker 2: her relentless commitment to understanding and protecting the world's glaciers.
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  Speaker 2: Her work on Arctic Essent with alex Hanould is a
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  Speaker 2: reflection of her dual role as a scientist and advocate.
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  Speaker 2: Each data points she collects, each sample she analyzes, contributes
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  Speaker 2: to a larger narrative about the future of our planet.
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  Speaker 2: Sylvestra's efforts underscore the critical need for immediate action to
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  Speaker 2: mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly in vulnerable regions
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  Speaker 2: like the Arctic. Her legacy extends beyond her scientific contributions.
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  Speaker 2: Silvestri is also shaping the next generation of climate scientists,
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  Speaker 2: mentoring young researchers and encouraging them to approach to science
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  Speaker 2: with both rigor and passion. Her work is a powerful
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  Speaker 2: reminder that the fight against climate change requires both data
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  Speaker 2: and dialogue, and that every expedition is an opportunity to
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  Speaker 2: advance both. Again, we see her doing this work. She
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  Speaker 2: is putting it on the line and bringing others with her,
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: bringing students for the future of climate change advocacy like
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  Speaker 2: she is doing that work of course, she has gotten
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  Speaker 2: several accolades for her incredible work, including twenty twenty two
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  Speaker 2: winner of the first Shacklesen Medal for the Protection of
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  Speaker 2: Polar Bears, WAKDA Awards as Acientist of the Year in
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  Speaker 2: twenty twenty three, Violia Foundation Environmental Book Prize of twenty
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  Speaker 2: twenty four for her book Annie Was.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: It called Sentinel do Climate?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, and it's only in French right now, I believe so,
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  Speaker 2: it says on her site. So I won't be able
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: to read that. Andy, I can give that to you
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  Speaker 2: as an assignment and you can let me know how
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  Speaker 2: it does.
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  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, No, I would love to read it.
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  Speaker 2: Well again, I think it's an incredible amount of work
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  Speaker 2: that she's doing. I would love to have her on
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  Speaker 2: the show, but obviously I think she's gonna be busy
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  Speaker 2: for the next year in this expedition as well as
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: some of the things that are happening now. And to
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  Speaker 2: end this episode about her, we'll end with her quote
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  Speaker 2: saying I'm telling you what I've seen so that you
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  Speaker 2: can see with me what we're losing and what's in
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  Speaker 2: store for us. What is already a work. The aim
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  Speaker 2: is not to so fear guilt, blame, or despair, but
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: to convince you to take action in your area of influence,
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  Speaker 2: in the space of your daily life, however vast or
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  Speaker 2: narrow it may seem. Because everything is linked, nothing is indifferent.
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  Speaker 2: Because I hope and believe we will save the glaciers
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  Speaker 2: and ourselves.
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  Speaker 1: I hope so too. I hope so too. And this
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  Speaker 1: is really cool and interesting work, very important.
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  Speaker 2: Everything I've seen about her, and just seeing some of
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: the clips that I've seen of her, her pictures, her interviews,
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  Speaker 2: she's just smiling. She is probably the most optimistic person
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  Speaker 2: I've ever seen in a field that seems so bad.
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  Speaker 2: She got them adventures under her belt, for sure.
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  Speaker 1: She does. She does. And you know, I always got
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: to link it back to horror movies, but I love
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  Speaker 1: that she's so happy when there's so many horror movies
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: about like being in Antarctica being cold. Yes, I can't
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  Speaker 1: wait to learn more about her. Well, listeners, If you
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: would like to write to us, if you have any
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: thoughts about this, if you've been to Antarctica, please let
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: us know. You can email us at Hello at stuff
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: Whenever told You dot com. You can find us on
• 13:58
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• 14:01
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• 14:08
  Speaker 1: as always to our super produced Christie and your executive
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: producer and your contributor Joey. Thank you, and thanks to
• 14:13
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