Insights and news
News — January 23, 2020
The Sun under the Sea
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 5min read
60 year ago, on January 23rd 1960, my father conquered the 4th pole.The four poles of our planet, North and South, high and low, have always fascinated explorers. The Antarctic and the Arctic saw Amundsen and Scott compete at the beginning of the 20th century, then Peary and Cook. When in 1953 Hillary and Tensing...
News — January 06, 2020
Aviation Needs Climate Pioneers
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 5min read
This joint Opinion Editorial is written by Anne Rigail, Chief Executive Officer of Air France, and Bertrand Piccard, Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation. It was originally published in Le Monde. (read the original article in French)The first 50 years of aviation history saw many disruptive innovations. We...
News — November 26, 2019
The Hydrogen Car - here and now, not just for the future
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 4min read
In two days, I have covered 778 kilometers, emitting nothing more than water vapor. I drove through two countries – France and Luxembourg – driving a hydrogen car, a standard Hyundai Nexo. I did this on just one full tank, setting a new world distance record for this kind of clean mobility.Through this...
Insights — October 28, 2019
Who are Greta Thunberg's detractors?
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 4min read
The politicians and industry leaders offended by Greta Thunberg's call for us to “listen to the science” are not just responsible for the inaction in the face of the climate crisis, they are also the ones whose complacency make it possible to legally pollute the air that kills 7 million annually, dump...
Insights — October 28, 2019
Qui sont les détracteurs de Greta ?
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 4min read
Pour la plupart, les politiciens et industriels qui s’offusquent du discours de Greta ne sont pas seulement les responsables de l’immobilisme face à la crise climatique. Ils sont aussi ceux qui, par leur laxisme et leurs manquements, permettent de façon tout à fait légale de polluer l’air avec les 7 millions...
News — October 21, 2019
Le climat rappelle les partis à l'ordre !
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 4min read
C’était tellement évident : à force de négliger l’urgence des problèmes climatiques pour favoriser leurs idéologies personnelles, les partis politiques traditionnels allaient perdre la confiance des électeurs. J’en avais d’ailleurs prévenu bon nombre de représentants, évidemment sans succès. Et maintenant, au...
News — September 26, 2019
Sind wir wirklich Kapitalisten?
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 3min read
Der Kapitalismus, der die globalen Märkte in den letzten 50 Jahren beherrscht hat, wird wie nie zuvor in Frage gestellt. Wenngleich in der letzten Generation über eine Milliarde Menschen den Weg aus der Armut gefunden haben, hat unser ökonomisches System gleichermaßen zu wachsender Ungleichheit, vermehrten...
News — September 23, 2019
Are we truly capitalists?
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 4min read
The version of capitalism that has dominated global markets for the last half-century is being rightfully questioned as never before. Whilst over a billion people have been pulled out of poverty over the last generation, our economic system has also contributed to skyrocketing inequalities, social unrest,...
News — September 23, 2019
Sommes-nous vraiment capitalistes ?
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 4min read
Le capitalisme qui a dominé les marchés mondiaux au cours du dernier demi-siècle est légitimement remis en question comme jamais auparavant. S'il a sorti plus d'un milliard de personnes de la pauvreté au cours de la dernière génération, notre système économique a aussi contribué à la montée en flèche des...
News — September 05, 2019
Cleaning up maritime transport
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 5min read
Three per cent. That is the contribution of the maritime sector to total global carbon emissions. It doesn’t sound all that much for a sector that ensures 90% of world trade and whose ships spend most of their time on the high-seas, out of sight and out of mind, but the predictions for climate change means that...
News — September 05, 2019
Vers un transport maritime plus propre
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 5min read
Trois pour cent. C'est la contribution du transport maritime aux émissions de carbone au niveau mondial. Cela peut sembler très peu pour un secteur qui assure 90% du commerce mondial et dont les navires passent la majeure partie du temps en haute mer, loin des yeux et des préoccupations, mais compte tenu des...
News — August 28, 2019
My speech to Heads of States at the G7 Summit
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 3min read
Dear President Macron, Excellencies,If I am here today in front of you, it is not because I flew around the world in a solar powered airplane but because I have proof that clean technologies exist and can achieve impossible goals. The good news is that in the field of the environment, these technologies have become...
Insights — August 23, 2019
Inégalités – personne n'y gagne
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 4min read
Le 26 août 2019, je m'adresserai aux chefs d'États et responsables gouvernementaux lors du 45e sommet du G7, à Biarritz, en France. L'édition de cette année se concentrera sur la lutte contre l'inégalité sous ses nombreuses formes. En effet, les disparités entre les nantis et les démunis ne constituent pas...
Insights — August 22, 2019
Inequality is holding all of us back
Written by Bertrand Piccard - 3min read
On August 26th, 2019, I will be addressing Heads of States and government officials at the 45th G7 summit, in Biarritz, France. This year's edition will focus on fighting inequality in its many forms. Indeed, disparities between the haves and the have-nots is not just a moral issue. Inequality has a...
Insights — June 21, 2019
Will airline companies cause their own crash?
Written by Bertrand Piccard
The noose is tightening around the air transport industry and only airline companies can untie the knot. They would greatly benefit in the end by becoming actors rather than victims of change. When will they understand?There are two ways to handle adverse circumstances: to try to put up a fight as long as...