At 19, the polar adventurer is also the youngest man to reach the most southern point on Earth by foot, without any assistance. 

But the records come second to Liautaud's main goal, which is to advance the discussion on climate change. During the first part of the mission, Liautaud and four others crossed the continent in a custom-built truck collecting ice and snow samples for a global warming study. Liautaud and his teammate, Doug Stoup, then skied unsupported to the South Pole, while the other men followed at a distance. 

"The speed record was to engage people about climate policy," Liautaud, currently a sophomore at Yale University, said in an interview with Business Insider. "It was also a good metaphor for the urgency of climate change."