And She Is Off! Teen Activist Sets Sail For UN Climate Summit In New York And Chile

Swedish Environmental activist, Greta Tintin Thunberg is just 16 years old but this young lady has a head on her shoulders. She is off to meet world leaders at UN climate summits in New York and Chile.

After a short speech she bid her family friends and fans farewell and climbed aboard Malizia, an 18m (60ft solar power racing yacht.

Greta said she was dedicated “to do everything I can” to tackle climate change which was a “very big problem.”

The teen who refused to travel by air because of the impact on the environment said of climate skeptics: “There’s always going to be people who don’t understand or accept the united science, and I will just ignore them, as I’m only acting and communicating on the science.”

Greta had some positive messages as well, saying she feels that people’s mindsets are changing “even if it’s not enough, and not fast enough, that’s something, it’s not for nothing.”

US President Donald Trump will be attending the Conferences, and when asked if she would make him listen she simply said, “no” to the amusement of the crowd. “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 the most impact.”

The captain of the Malizia II, Boris Herrmann, appeared alongside her. He praised her courage and called the issue of climate change a “race against time.”

“I was test-sailing two days ago and we went out for several hours,” she said.

“I didn’t feel bad or anxious, I felt seasick for about one or two minutes, then it stopped.

“I will just have to see, get on the boat and see what happens, and that is also very exciting,” said the teen.

She told the BBC that traveling by sea shows “the climate change crisis is a real thing”.

The Swedish teenager’s “school strikes” have inspired a global climate change protest movement driven by young people.

At the tender age of 15 Greta, began protesting outside the Swedish parliament in August 2018 about the need for immediate action to combat climate change.