30/08/2019

Greta Thunberg, Climate Change Activist, Sails Into New York City

BBC


Greta Thunberg sails into New York City

Teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in New York after a 15-day, 3,000-mile (4,800km) voyage across the Atlantic.
She will be participating in UN climate summits in New York City and Chile.
The 16-year-old Swede sailed from Plymouth in the UK on a zero-emissions yacht in order to minimise the carbon footprint of her travel.
"Our war on nature must end," she told reporters shortly after arriving on Wednesday.
"I want to thank everyone... who is involved in this climate fight, because this is a fight across borders, across continents," she said.
When asked about the fires that have ravaged the Amazon rainforest in recent weeks, she said they were a "clear sign we need to stop destroying nature
Ms Thunberg was expected to arrive sooner, but rough seas slowed her progress. She has been documenting the voyage on social media.
As she departed the UK two weeks ago, she told the BBC that travelling by boat sends a signal that "the climate change crisis is a real thing".
When asked if she could make US President Donald Trump listen she answered with a simple "no".
"I'm not that special. I can't convince everyone," she said. "I'm just going to do what I want to do and what will have most impact."
On arrival in New York she had another message for Mr Trump: "My message for him is listen to the science and he obviously doesn't do that."
She will be present at the UN climate summit on 23 September and the COP25 climate conference in Chile in December.

The Swedish teen behind the climate strikes

The teenager has made headlines for her "school strikes" which have inspired a worldwide climate change protest movement.
Her first "strike for climate" took place outside the Swedish parliament in August last year.
Ms Thunberg travelled on the Malizia II, a high-speed, 60ft (18m) racing yacht with underwater turbines and no carbon emissions.
She made the journey with her father Svante, captain Boris Herrmann, Monaco royal family member Pierre Casiraghi and a Swedish documentary maker, Nathan Grossman.


Inside a training camp teaching climate activists how to protest effectively

Her boat had no shower or toilet, according to Reuters, and the sailing party ate freeze-dried food.
The teenager was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year.
Ms Thunberg has been diagnosed with Asperger's, a form of autism, which she told the BBC allowed her to "see things from outside the box".
"If I would've been like everyone else, I wouldn't have started this school strike for instance," she said.


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