Activist Greta Thunberg reaches New York after sailing across the Atlantic
Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York City on Wednesday after traveling across the Atlantic Ocean in a zero-emission yacht. She is attending several events in the city next month, including the U.N. General Assembly, U.N. Youth Summit on Climate and the Climate Action Summit.
She stepped foot on land just after 4 p.m. and the 16-year-old then addressed reporters. She said "everyone always asks about Donald Trump — 'Listen to the science' and he obviously does not do that. If no one has been able to convince him about the climate crisis and the urgency, why would I be able to?"
Thunberg, looking slightly embarrassed, said "all of this is very overwhelming" of the crowd who welcomed her to Manhattan. Though she encountered some rough seas, she said her trip across the Atlantic wasn't as uncomfortable as she expected, according to The Associated Press. Thunberg mentioned that she didn't get seasick once, but said "this is not something I want everyone to do.
"It is insane that a 16-year-old would have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand," she said. "The climate and ecological crisis is a global crisis, the biggest crisis that humanity has ever faced, and if we don't manage to work together and to cooperate and to work together despite our differences, then we will fail."
Thunberg, used the boat to raise awareness to the greenhouse gases emitted by the use of commercial airplanes. She tweeted that her vessel, named Malizia II, was anchored off Coney Island on Wednesday morning and that they were "clearing immigration and customs."
As Thunberg arrived in New York, she took time to tweet some images:
The United Nations welcomed Thunberg with a flotilla of 17 sailboats — each branded with an icon from its Sustainable Development Goals:
Thunberg's yacht had no kitchen, no heating, no fridge and no bathroom. The vessel generated electricity through solar panels and wind turbines. Thunberg documented parts of her journey on Twitter, where she included videos of the high seas, photos of herself and the crew, and short commentaries about climate change.
On Day Four, she described conditions on Malizia II "like camping on a roller coaster." Some of her videos even demonstrated the difficult conditions her crew experienced while on the journey.
Thunberg recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the start of her climate change movement. Last August, she began striking alone outside the Swedish parliament, and soon, students around the world began walking out of school, demanding action from their governments. She's been called "the voice of the planet," and has even been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
While she's here in the U.S., Greta will participate in two global climate strikes in addition to attending the U.N.'s Youth Summit on Climate on September 21 and Climate Action Summit on September 23. It's unclear how she plans to eventually travel back home.
Pamela Falk and Peter Martinez contributed to this report.
