Will Steger

Will Steger – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life, polar explorations, environmental advocacy, and impactful quotes of Will Steger—American explorer and climate change voice who has made the Arctic and Antarctic his stage.

Introduction

Will Steger (born August 27, 1944) is an American polar explorer, educator, and environmentalist whose firsthand experiences in the Arctic and Antarctic have made him a powerful voice in public understanding of climate change. Over decades of expeditions, teaching, and activism, Steger has bridged exploration and advocacy, helping bring the urgency of polar conservation to global attention.

Early Life and Education

Will Steger was born in Richfield, Minnesota. In his youth, he developed a strong affinity for wilderness, kayak and dogsled travel, and an inquisitive spirit toward extreme environments.

Academically, Steger holds:

• A Bachelor of Science in Geology

• A Master of Arts in Education
  (both from the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota)

• Additionally, he has received multiple honorary doctorates from institutions such as Westminster College, Northland College, and Franklin Pierce University.

This combination of scientific training and educational grounding laid a foundation for his later work in exploration and environmental teaching.

Polar Expeditions & Milestones

Will Steger is perhaps best known for leading ambitious, often unsupported, polar journeys. Some of his major expeditions include:

• 1986 — Led what is regarded as the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole without resupply

• 1988 — South-north traverse of Greenland (~1,600 miles), which was at that time among the longest unsupported sled journeys in polar conditions

• 1989–1990 — The International Trans-Antarctic Expedition, a seven-month, ~3,741-mile dogsled traverse of Antarctica, marking one of the first dogsled crossings of the continent

• 1995 — The International Arctic Project, a dogsled traverse from Russia to Ellesmere Island (Canada), crossing the Arctic Ocean

In total, over 50 years Steger has traveled tens of thousands of miles by kayak, dogsled, canoe, ski, and snowshoe in polar and subpolar environments.

Beyond expeditions, he has kayaked many northern rivers such as the Peace, Mackenzie, and Yukon.

Advocacy, Education & Legacy

Steger’s explorations are intimately tied to his role as an educator and advocate for climate awareness:

• In 1991, he co-founded the Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) at Hamline University to integrate environmental learning into schools.

• In 1993, he founded the World School for Adventure Learning at the University of St. Thomas, extending educational outreach globally.

• In 2006, he established the Will Steger Foundation, which later evolved into Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and empowering people to take climate action.

• More recently, he launched the Steger Wilderness Center in Ely, Minnesota: a living demonstration of ecological stewardship and a hub for training, research, and climate resilience programs.

Steger has frequently been called to testify before the U.S. Congress and address business, governmental, and educational sectors about polar change and its broader implications.

Among honors he has received are:

• The John Oliver La Gorce Medal from the National Geographic Society in 1995 (he was the first to receive it in all three categories: exploration, science, and public service)

• Explorer-in-Residence for National Geographic (1996)

• The Explorers Club’s Finn Ronne Memorial Award (1997)

• Lindbergh Foundation’s Lindbergh Award (2006) for his climate and exploration work

• National Geographic Adventure Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)

Through his books (e.g. Over the Top of the World, Crossing Antarctica, North to the Pole, Saving the Earth) and speeches, his message of urgency about climate change draws authority from lived experience.

Personality & Ethos

Will Steger is known not just for physical endurance but for humility, curiosity, and a commitment to translate his explorations into education and advocacy rather than mere adventure spectacle.

He often emphasizes eyewitness voice—the idea that having personally seen Arctic ice melt, shifting ecosystems, and fragile polar environments grants moral weight to climate arguments.

His approach is integrative: combining science, art, storytelling, and education to influence public perception and policy.

Selected Quotes

Here are some of his more widely cited statements:

• “Within 10 years it will be impossible to travel to the North Pole by dog team. There will be too much open water.”

• “I don’t think there’s any way we can save the polar bears.”

• “Having traveled for 45 years in the Arctic, what I’ve seen the last 15 years is shocking. We need to finally face up that we have an issue here and we need to get back to solutions.”

• “If we could cut carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent over the next 20 years we could perhaps prevent this. If we continue burning fossil fuels as we are today … (the ice shelf) will slip in (the ocean).”

• “We knew this was happening 15 years ago. But it’s only been in the past few months that the information has been spread by the media.”

• “An incredible experience and humbling all the way through.”

These reflect a blend of urgency, realism, and the perspective of a long-term observer.

Lessons from Will Steger’s Life

1. Witnessing matters
   His message is stronger because it comes from someone who has traveled to threatened regions and seen first-hand the impacts of climate change.

2. Bridging exploration with education
   Rather than simply documenting, Steger used his expeditions to teach, build institutions, and engage public audiences.

3. Longevity and consistency count
   Over five decades, he persisted even as attention waxed and waned; climate advocacy is a long game.

4. Hope tied to action
   His calls to reduce carbon emissions or protect polar ecosystems show that awareness alone is not enough—he demands solutions.

5. Humility in grand ventures
   Despite herculean feats, he consistently frames his work in service to the planet and future generations.

Conclusion

Will Steger remains a rare figure: explorer, educator, and climate messenger rolled into one. His journeys across polar ice, his institutions for environmental literacy, and the urgency of his voice continue to inspire those who seek to connect human experience with planetary stewardship.

If you’d like, I can also draft a timeline of his expeditions, compare Steger with other polar explorers (e.g. Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen), or dig deeper into his books and educational projects. Would you like me to do that?