The Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg arrived in the United States after 15 days crossing the Atlantic.
Just arrived in New York after 15 days of crossing the Atlantic, the young muse for climate Greta Thunberg called on Donald Trump to “listen to science” and humanity to “stop destroying nature”.
“Greta! Greta! The 16-year-old Swede landed under a gray sky at the southern tip of Manhattan around 4 pm local time (8 pm GMT), to the applause of a few hundred people waiting for her on the wharf, and after briefly escorted by 17 UN boats – a reference to the organization’s 17 sustainable development goals for 2030.
Manhattan! pic.twitter.com/8SxPYk2WRk
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) 28 August 2019
The @UN has sent out one boat for each of the 17 sustainable development goal to greet us! Thank you! pic.twitter.com/AU5ZSVj5vD
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) 28 August 2019
“Do not wait, let’s act now! “
As soon as she landed, she showed her determination to continue fighting for the climate as she has done for a year, to the point of becoming a star for hundreds of thousands of young people who answer every Friday her call to go to school. truant to draw attention to the climate emergency.
“The climate crisis is a global crisis, the biggest crisis facing humanity,” she said.
“We must be united and mutually supportive and act, otherwise it may be too late. Do not wait, let’s act now!”
Asked what message she had for US climate-skeptical President Donald Trump, who could be like her at the UN for the climate summit on September 23, she seemed unenthusiastic.
“My message for him is’ Listen to science! But clearly, he does not (…) If no one could convince him of the urgency of the climate crisis, why could I do it? The teenager lamented.
Later, referring to the US president’s repeated attacks on wind turbines, she laughed, “I’m pretty sure wind turbines do not cause cancer.”
Saying no doubt appreciated by the Democratic mayor of New York Bill de Blasio.
“Greta Thunberg has shown more leadership on the climate in an ocean crossing than the entire Trump government since coming to power,” the Mayor said in a tweet just before he arrived in Manhattan.
16-year-old @GretaThunberg showed more climate leadership in one ocean voyage than the entire Trump administration has since taking office.
This generation will never know a world without a climate crisis. They’re showing us what courage looks like.
Welcome to New York, Greta. https://t.co/oBuqtGikIw
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) 28 August 2019
Noting that she had heard about the fires ravaging the Amazon, vital to the planet, during her journey, the young woman considered them “disastrous” and considered that this was the “clear sign that we must stop destroying nature” .
The mooring of the Malizia II in New York marks the end of a journey that began on 14 August in Plymouth, Great Britain, ending with a passage in front of the Statue of Liberty and a mooring near the mouth of the river Hudson, west of Manhattan.
The teenager, now recognizable all over the world by her baby face and her long braids, had then embarked with her father aboard the carbonless sailing ship Malizia II, skippered by Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, and the German Boris Herrmann.
Greta Thunberg, diagnosed with autism Asperger at the age of 12, had refused to fly because of the carbon emissions that this means of transport generates.
First demonstration on Friday
The trip, in sometimes rough waters, with a bucket for single toilets, was clearly tiring, even though she pointed out that “the power and beauty of the ocean (him) had reminded us that we must stop destroying the world in which we live “.
“My brain is not working well anymore,” she apologized as she mumbled briefly during the press conference.
“It’s crazy that a 16-year-old needs to cross the Atlantic to assert his views,” she added.
If her “FridaysforFuture” movement has inspired crowds of young people around the world, Greta Thunberg also has her detractors.
A polluting journey?
In recent days, some have mocked his trip by boat, arguing that several members of the crew had planned to return to Europe by plane and that his trip would also contribute to polluting the planet.
But this kind of controversy does not seem to affect the determination of the teenager, who has planned a series of meetings and militant actions in New York before the summit of 23rd September.
If she shortened the press conference to “rest,” she said she would attend a youth march on Friday at the UN.
She also plans to demonstrate on Friday 20th – just before the 23rd summit – and 27th September.
In addition to the United States, it also plans to travel to Canada, Mexico and Santiago de Chile for another UN conference in December.
