COP27: Swimmer crossing Red Sea to raise awareness

Lewis Pugh is known for his huge swims and love of the ocean

A swimmer from the UK is hoping to be the first person to swim across the Red Sea, which is a saltwater inlet between the continents of Africa and Asia.

He's raising awareness about protecting the oceans, especially coral reefs, ahead of the COP27 climate summit.

Leaders from all over the world are coming to Egypt in November to discuss what can be done to fight the effects of climate change.

Swimmer Lewis Pugh says he hopes his mission reminds world leaders about the importance of looking after the world's seas.

The Red Sea is famous for its coral reefs

A record-breaking swim

Lewis Pugh will face 100 miles of salty water and harsh sun exposure.

He's going to do the swim over two weeks, hoping to manage around six miles a day.

He is planning to be the first person to swim across the whole of the Red Sea.

Luckily he's no stranger to swimming outdoors - Lewis was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean in the world!

Lewis Pugh has been swimming in oceans for 35 years

Patron of the Oceans

But it's not just for the swimming record - he wants to raise awareness about how coral reefs across the globe are being damaged by pollution and climate change.

Lewis Pugh is the United Nations (UN's) 'Patron of the Oceans' - he was chosen for all his efforts towards looking after the world's seas.

He hopes the swim will show world leaders that they need to "put their heads in the water" to see the impact of climate change, so they can do something about it at this year's climate change summit.

Young people in France have already started protesting ahead of COP27, asking their president to do more to help reduce the impacts of climate change

What is COP27?

COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and will be attended by countries which signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed in 1994.

This year is the 27th time it will be held, which is why it is called COP27.

Every year world leaders get together to discuss and plan how to tackle climate change, and how to cope with the impact it's already having.

This year it is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt.

Last year it took place in Glasgow, and you can read more about it here:

This year, Lewis Pugh is asking world leaders to cut carbon emissions and promise to protect 30% of the world's oceans.

Oceans across the world are being damaged by pollution, oil spills, and temperature increases

Coral Reefs

During Lewis' swim he will cross over coral reefs in the Red Sea - home to around 350 different species of coral!

He wants world leaders to see how coral reefs around the world are being damaged due to global warming.

As the ocean heats up, the corals are affected.

This leads to coral bleachingand eventually, the coral dying.

Coral bleaching gets rid of the gorgeous colours of coral reefs

Huge areas of coral like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia are being damaged by coral bleaching caused by water heating up.

As well as bleaching, oceans face threats from pollution and rubbish being left in the sea.

Plastic pollution in the ocean can put fish and other sea animals in danger.

Animals like turtles can face damage from plastic left in the sea