Léonie d´Aunet was the first woman in history to visit the Svalbard archipelago. In 1839, it was portrayed as a visit to the North Pole.
With the retreating of the polar ice rim around Svalbard, polar bears are already struggling and a 10 ⁰C temperature rise, as predicted by the Norwegian Environment Agency, would change animal life beyond recognition. Eventually, in time the glaciers will be as high as the surrounding granite peaks.” The then Secretary-General’s choice of visiting Svalbard to plead climate action was no coincidence: nowhere on the planet is heating faster. Whilst Léonie d´Aunet was the first woman on Svalbard, Norwegian, Dutch, English, and French whalers – who are traditionally male – had for centuries used the islands as a base for whaling. In 1839, it was portrayed as a visit to the North Pole. Léonie d´Aunet was the first woman in history to visit the Svalbard archipelago.