Adventurer James Levelle joins Envision Virgin Racing’s Race Against Climate Change

Meet James Levelle, an adventurer and filmmaker who travelled 7,000 miles completely fossil fuel free. He’s the newest ambassador for Envision Virgin Racing’s Race Against Climate Change.

Levelle journeyed from London to Santiago last year without emitting any carbon to attend the recent UN Climate Change conference. He documented the entire expedition – which included becoming the first person to drive an electric vehicle across Argentina from Buenos Aires to Mendoza.

Started in 2017, Envision Virgin Racing’s Race Against Climate Change programme is all about getting people excited about the future of electric cars powered by renewable energy.

“In knowing more about climate change, it has made me realise what I can do as an individual to make a positive impact,” he recalls. “Then one day my brain told me I needed to go on this massive adventure from the UK to Chile to get to the climate change conference – the COP 25 – fossil fuel free and make a climate documentary, but to do so by focusing exclusively on the next generation. The plan would be that I’d then deliver this film to the UN at the conference.”

However, two weeks before Levelle arrived in South America, he discovered that the conference had been relocated to Madrid because of political unrest in Chile. 

“Finding out the news two weeks before I arrived in South America was tough,” Levelle says. “I mean my ship had literally already sailed! But I then had a big decision to make about whether I turn around or continue the journey I had started.”

He decided to continue and through his journey he met many incredible people. He says: “The thing that inspired me the most is the young people I met along the way and that’s what made it so important to me to get to Santiago and deliver those climate change messages.”

Now back in the UK, Levelle is working with Envision Virgin Racing, one of the most successful teams in the all-electric Formula E race series. Envision Virgin Racing prides itself on being more than just a team and uses its position to raise awareness of the climate crisis.

Travelle is working with the team to plan how they can collaborate in future – look out for more info soon.

Visit Envision Virgin Racing for more information.