Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in the US after her transatlantic journey from the UK by yacht.
The 16-year-old set sail from the UK on August 14 in order to attend the UN climate summit in New York, which begins next month.
She chose to sail across the Atlantic aboard the Malizia II, a 60-foot, emissions-free yacht powered by solar panels, rather than fly in order to reduce carbon emissions.
The teenager has since been documenting her transatlantic journey on Twitter and with a live tracker. She equated life on the boat to “camping on a roller coaster.”
The UN sent boats – one each for the 17 sustainable development goals – out to greet her arrival
In a tweet announced she had arrived, she thanked everyone who came to see her off in Plymouth, and everyone who welcomed her in New York.
She said: “Now I’m going to rest for a few days, and on Friday I’m going to participate in the [school] strike outside the UN.”
Since starting her “school strikes” – which she does every Friday – in August 2018, the daughter of an actor and an opera singer has appeared before policymakers at last year’s UN climate conference in Poland and lobbied business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
She also met with Pope Francis, who praised Greta’s efforts and encouraged her to continue campaigning.
Although little-known in the US, Greta has arguably become the figurehead for a new generation of European eco-activists worried that they will suffer the fallout from their parents’ and grandparents’ unwillingness to take strong actions to combat climate change.
Her visibility has made her a target for those who reject the overwhelming consensus among scientists that climate change is being driven by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, released by the burning of fossil fuels.
“I don’t care about hate and threats from climate crisis deniers,” she said in a recent interview. “I just ignore them.”
In addition to the UN summit, Thunberg plans to attend a climate conference in Chile this December.