A Greek actor and climate change activist named Agis Emmanouil recently announced he will run from Athens to Glasgow, Scotland in order to raise awareness for the environment.
His grueling journey will see him run for a full two and a half months in order to end up in Glasgow in time for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), set to take place in November of 2021.
Climate activist run
Emmanouil’s personal ultramarathon is set to begin from Pnyx Hill in Athens in mid-August, and he is aiming to reach Glasgow by November 1 for the beginning of the COP26 conference.
His journey will cover an estimated 3,448 kilometers (2,142 miles) and five countries. This is the equivalent of running almost 60 marathons — and the climate activist is planning on accomplishing it in under three months.
Emmanouil has also launched a fundraiser for his run, and all of the money raised will be utilized to aid environmental projects in the countries he will traverse on his journey. Additionally, he will be accompanied by multiple local runners from the different countries as he passes through them.
The climate activist began preparing for his super marathon in December of 2020, after being inspired by watching a David Attenborough documentary about the rapidly deteriorating environment.
When asked by the Greek news site ‘newsbomb.gr’ why he was planning on running, rather than any other form of transportation, Emmanouil responded:
“Running is the reason Homo Sapiens survived, in contrast to the Neanderthal… It is inscribed in our DNA and in our subconscious and it is also a natural force that is now being discovered and developed by more and more people across the length and breadth of the planet.
“Additionally, running is the most natural way to get somewhere, producing almost no carbon dioxide — which is the largest contributor to global warming,” the climate activist opined.
UN climate change conference
The goal of the COP26 climate conference is to bring global leaders together in order to foster communication and collaboration when it comes to fighting climate change. More specifically, the conference aims to discuss the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework on Climate Change, in order to lead to accelerated action.
The main goal of the Paris Agreement was to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Farenheit), with an aim of 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Farenheit). The COP26 conference wants to help make this goal a reality.
The UK has the presidency of this year’s climate conference, which is why it is taking place in Glasgow. COP26 was originally supposed to take place in 2020, but the UK got special permission from the COP Bureau to push it forward to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The climate activist’s run has been endorsed by multiple Greek celebrities, and video endorsements can be found on his Facebook page.
A show of support from the Greek actor Alexandros Logothetis can be found below:
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