The global explorer Bertrand Piccard piloted the first balloon to traverse the globe in 1999, and in 2016 he was at the controls of the first plane to fly around the world powered only by the sun: Solar Impulse.

But his next challenge might be his toughest: Mr. Piccard, a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), has launched the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions, a not-for-profit project endorsed by UNEP and several other UN Agencies.

When he met Conor Lennon from UN News during High-Level week of the General Assembly, in the VIP Social Media Studio at United Nations Headquarters in New York, he told him what motivates him to continue fighting for a cleaner, less polluted world.