“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is from Robert Swan, the first person to walk on both the North Pole and the South Pole.
 
“‘The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.’ Robert Swan OBE” was posted on Twitter by Sabine ZM on April 6, 2009. The quotation also was printed in the Calgary (Alberta) Herald on October 10, 2009. It’s not known when Robert Swan first said this, but he said it several times. The quotation has appeared on signs at climate change marches.
   
   
Wikipedia: Robert Swan
Robert Charles Swan, OBE, FRGS (born 28 July 1956) is the first person to walk to both Poles.
 
He was born on 28 July 1956 in Durham, England, and attended Aysgarth School and then Sedbergh School (1969–1974) before completing a BA degree in Ancient History (1976–1979) at St Chad’s College, Durham University. He is currently an advocate for the protection of Antarctica and renewable energy. Swan is also the founder of 2041, a company which is dedicated to the preservation of the Antarctic and the author with Gil Reavill of Antarctica 2041: My Quest to Save the Earth’s Last Wilderness.
   
Twitter
Sabine ZM
@sabinez
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Robert Swan OBE
4:34 PM · Apr 6, 2009·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Jenna
@bite4size
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”  - Robert Swan, Polar Explorer
1:42 PM · Apr 14, 2009·Twitter Web Client
 
Newspapers.com
10 October 2009, Calgary (Alberta) Herald, “Adventurer witnessed effects of climate change; Environmental pioneer inspires Alberta students” by Hanneke Brooymans, pg. A10, col. 3:
As he (Robert Swan—ed.) told students Friday, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
     
HuffPost
Aiko Stevenson
Freelance Writer
Robert Swan OBE: “The Greatest Threat to Our Planet Is the Belief That Someone Else Will Save It”
03/01/2012 10:17 pm ET Updated May 01, 2012
Antarctica has been described as “a silence deep with a breath like sleep.” Some say that the continent’s profound beauty haunts you for the rest of your days. One man who understands this better than most is polar explorer turned environmentalist Robert Swan OBE. In 1986, he made the longest unassisted walk ever to the South Pole. Three years later he went onto the North Pole and by the age of 33, he became first person in history to walk to both North and South Pole.
   
Facebook
Earth Hour
February 28, 2013 ·
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
- Robert Swan OBE, the first man in history to walk to both the North and South Poles.
   
Google Books
2040:
A Handbook for the Regeneration based on the documentary 2040
By Damon Gameau
Macmillan Publishers Aus
2019
Pg. 190:
‘The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.’
ROBERT SWAN
 
Twitter
David Miguel
@semperpho
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
–Robert Swan
6:15 PM · Jan 20, 2020·Twitter Web App