TravelGuides – ‘Human swan’ to make 3,000-mile UK flight to raise climate awareness | Environmental activism

A lady dubbed “the human swan” has mentioned she is feeling excited as she prepares to launch a world-first circumnavigation of mainland Britain in a paraglider powered with an electrical engine, to raise awareness about climate change.

Sacha Dench is making the three,000-mile journey to mark the Cop26 UN climate change convention happening in Glasgow later this 12 months.

She will take off from a location close to Glasgow on Monday 21 June, climate allowing, in an tailored electrical paramotor, flying anti-clockwise across the coast and returning to land within the space roughly six weeks later.

The Australian is thought for international expeditions with migratory species however has turned her focus to the climate disaster after dropping her household residence to bushfires final 12 months.

Dench mentioned: “I’m going to be trying to fly a complete circumnavigation of mainland Britain in an electric-powered paramotor, and I’m doing it to try and demonstrate just how far we can go in terms of decarbonising our transport and our lifestyles in general.

“The real thing we’re hoping to do though is make use of the journey and the fact that I have to stop frequently to change batteries to stop and land and speak to people who have solutions for climate change, because there are lots of people with brilliant ideas, brilliant projects already in train, that I think can show us that whilst Britain drove the industrial revolution, we can drive the green revolution too.

“We’re doing it in the run-up to Cop26 – if Britain is going to host the global conference on climate change then it’s the best time for the whole country to rally behind big actions, big bold actions from the politicians.”

Asked how she feels concerning the journey she mentioned: “I’m feeling excited, feeling a bit nervous, I’m feeling excited about it, I’m really interested to see how the country responds and I’m most fascinated to hear the stories of people all around the country.

“I think it’s going to be a really interesting and inspiring journey, and who knows how the electric paramotor will fare? No-one has ever done a long journey in an electric powered paramotor before, but I’ve got an excellent ground crew and team behind me so we’ve got the best chance of success that we can try for.”

The expedition, sponsored by EDF, is described as an excessive take a look at over difficult landscapes.

The electrical paramotor will exchange the standard two-stroke engine Dench has used for lengthy expeditions.

She hopes to set a brand new Guinness world report for the quickest, and first, flight round Britain in a paramotor – and the primary lengthy-distance expedition tried with an electrical paramotor.

She mentioned it provides a captivating perspective on life beneath, whereas passing birds will not be too bothered by her presence.

Dench mentioned: “You do get incredible views, but they also put a lot of the issues in this country in context, so you really see a landscape and how everything fits together, so that is really fascinating.

“But it is beautiful up there as well. Learning to understand and read the air, flying like the birds, they tend to just see you as another flying aircraft when you’re in the air, particularly with the electric paramotor which is so silent.”