Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Will Cross The Ocean To U.N. Climate Summit On A Zero-Emissions Sailboat
Greta Thunberg is a 16-year-old from Sweden who became famous around the world for her climate activism, leading an entire generation of youth activists to call on world leaders to make plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. The young activist will be speaking at the U.N. Climate Action Summit on September 23, which she will attend via a zero-emissions sailboat, reported CNN.
Departing from the U.K., Greta will join the crew of the Malizia II yacht and sail to New York City where the summit will take place. The summit, called by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, will bring together world leaders to present their plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
As cutting emissions is key to stopping climate change, Greta is adamant about not traveling by plane, a major emitter of greenhouse gases. Instead, she will enjoy a long journey by boat, which uses solar panels and underwater turbines to generate electricity. The journey is expected to take two weeks, and the teenager will be joined by her father.
The schoolgirl looked into many different options for traveling to and from the summit, eventually settling on the Malizia II, captained by professional race skipper Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi, founder of the Malizia team.
Good news!
I’ll be joining the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, COP25 in Santiago and other events along the way.
I’ve been offered a ride on the 60ft racing boat Malizia II. We’ll be sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the UK to NYC in mid August.#UniteBehindTheScience pic.twitter.com/9OH6mOEDce— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) July 29, 2019
In a statement, Herrmann said that he admires Greta’s mission and is humbled by her choice to travel via the Malizia II.
“Greta is amazingly courageous to be standing up against ignorance and injustice regarding the climate crisis. I feel humbled that Greta accepted our offer as the lowest-carbon option to cross the Atlantic — despite the lack of comfort for her.”
Greta commented on her goals to encourage politicians to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially at the upcoming summit.
“The science is clear and all we children are doing is communicating and acting on that united science. And our demand is for the world to unite behind the science.”
The climate summit in the U.S. won’t be the 16-year-old’s last stop — she will also speak at a string of following summits set to take place over the coming months in various countries, starting with the U.N. COP25 climate conference in Santiago, Chile.
Greta shared the news about her decision to arrive at the U.S. summit by boat on her Twitter account.
“Good news!…I’ve been offered a ride on the 60ft racing boat Malizia II. We’ll be sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from the UK to NYC in mid August.”
The activist received many comments on her post congratulating her on her efforts and wishing her luck on her upcoming journey.
