Free Climber Scales 36-Story Skyscraper in London in Hopes of Raising Awareness for Climate Change

A free climber takes viewers on a journey as he scales a skyscraper. George King-Thompson says he climbed the 36-story building in London to bring awareness to an important issue. 

"A week ago, I was in Stratford Station, and I saw Stratford station flooded, and a photo went viral,” the 21-year-old said. “And I wanted to raise awareness to the seriousness of climate change at the moment because only a week before that, there was a heatwave throughout London.”

And this wasn’t King-Thompson’s first rodeo. He served three months in prison in 2019 for scaling the tallest building in the UK.

It seems the stint in jail didn’t deter him from his old antics, but he says the difficulty of this climb was a little unnerving. 

"First eight floors, the windows were sticky. They were... they had grip. But eight floors and above, they didn't. So, it's very slippery, which I didn't, I underestimated. But at the same time, I adapted, and I knew I could adapt in that situation."

Police were reportedly called to the building but said by the time they arrived, they couldn’t find a climber. It’s unknown if he’ll face charges.

While he doesn’t suggest people start climbing buildings, King-Thompson says he encourages everyone to follow their passion.

"The message I have is that everyone has a gift. That doesn't mean it has to be dangerous. Your mission is to identify that gift, make it your passion, make it your purpose,” he said.

“Your gift could be art. Your gift could be running. Your gift could be cooking. You've got to find it. Make it a passion. Make it your purpose."

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