After 15 days at sea, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived at a pier in New York City’s lower Manhattan, as she continues her quest to raise awareness about climate change — and fight for a zero carbon future.
Hours after she first spotted the glimmering lights of Long Island at night, Ms Thunberg’s supporters flocked to North Cove Marina on New York Harbour. Then, with its massive black sail, the yacht could be seen in the distance beside the Statue of Liberty on the cloudy day, making its slow approach to Manhattan.
The Swedish teenager’s voyage to the United States from Britain on a zero-carbon yacht has focused the world’s attention on the urgent issue of climate change, as she is set to attend the United Nations summit on zero emissions next month. From a modest protest in front of the Swedish parliament, she will now be invited to speak among international dignitaries.
“My message to all the activists is to just keep going, and I know it really may seem impossible and hopeless sometimes — it always does — so you just have to keep going because if you try hard enough and long enough you will make a difference,” Ms Thunberg told the crowd in New York. “And, if enough people stand together and fight for the right thing anything can happen.”
Her trip — undertaken on the Malizia II racing yacht skippered by Pierre Casiraghi, the son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, and German round-the-world sailor Boris Herrmann — came after Ms Thunberg drew national attention for her school strikes, sparking similar protests by children across the globe.
“This is a fight across the waters, and across distance,” Ms Thunberg said, reflecting on the just-finished voyage, before adding she believed it “is insane that a 16-year-old would have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand”.
When Ms Thunberg’s yacht docked on Wednesday, helped along by dinghies that had guided her from the Hudson, she was greeted with a chorus of “Welcome Greta, welcome Greta, to New York”, sung to the tune of Frere Jaques by many of the teenage activists who had come to welcome her.
“I wanted to inspire Greta, and also I want to be able to fight for the climate and bring climate justice,” one of those supporters, 15-year-old Paloma Jourdes, told The Independent. “It’s important that the youth is here because we’re the next generation that are going to be able to change certain policies.... And vote for leaders who actually make changes.”
Ms Thunberg is set to attend events at the United Nations just miles away in Manhattan during her stay in America, including a strike outside of those offices led by high school students just like those who came to greet her. The UN will conduct its climate summit in September.
She is expected to travel to Chile later this year, too, where world leaders are scheduled to meet for annual United Nations climate talks.
Ms Thunberg first drew international attention for starting a sit-down protest outside of the Swedish parliament just one year ago, demanding action on climate change.
Her initial sit-down protest in August of last year quickly drew the support of fellow students internationally, as the efforts were reported on in the media and the “Fridays for future” movement was created.
Ms Thunberg’s trip across the Atlantic on the 18-metre yacht that landed in Manhattan started in the British port city of Plymouth 14 August, where fans waved her off.
The voyage encountered some rough waters along the way, delaying her plans some, even as she and the crew posted photos and tweets along the way.
The issues facing Ms Thunberg included criticism after a spokesman for the boat-s co-skipper told Berlin newspaper TAZ that people would be flying to New York to take the yacht to Europe — even though the solar panel laden yacht was chosen as a form of travel in order to avoid carbon emissions from plane travel.
When the boat arrived in New York harbour on Wednesday, just as it was passing the Statue of Liberty, it was welcomed by a flotilla of 17 sailing boats, each with a sustainable development goal written onto their sails.
Ms Thunberg has not said when she might return to Europe.
But, for now, she said she is going to take it slow after what has been a remarkably fast journey to international fame since she first began her protest one year ago.
“Right now I’m going to first finish this press conference and then go back to the boat and get my stuff and then I’m going to rest,” she said.
