Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Sets Sail on a Zero-Emission Yacht to Participate in a UN Summit

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg started her water journey and will reach UN Headquarters in New York in two weeks to participate in a UN summit, sailing on a zero-emissions yacht, as she refused to fly because of the carbon emissions caused by planes.

Greta Thunberg, whose school protests against global warming have inspired children around the world, has been offered a lift on the Malizia II racing yacht, which is skippered by a member of Monaco’s ruling family, along with her father Svante and a filmmaker, who is documenting her journey. She believes this decision of sailing by zero-emission yacht will allow her to attend the UN talks in September with a clear conscience.

The journey is going to take about two weeks as the yacht is travelling at the speed of around 70 kilometres an hour, but it will be heading into the direction of the wind for much of the time so it will be slower, as the captain of the yacht wants a smooth ride.

The 60-foot zero-emission yacht, is skippered by Pierre Casiraghi, who is the vice president of the Monaco Yacht Club and also a member of the principality’s ruling family and German round-the-world sailor Boris Herrmann.

“The objective is to arrive safe and sound in New York”, Herrmann said before sailing off the English port of Plymouth.

16-year-old Greta Thunberg has become a face of the climate action movement, because of her stark warnings of catastrophe if the world does not act immediately to cut carbon emissions and curb global warming.

As she set her sail, the activist said, “Of course there are many people who don’t understand and accept the science. I will just have to do what I have always done ignore them and just tell the science as it is. We create an international opinion and movement so that people stand together and put pressure on the people in power”.

The yacht is mainly made for racing, with foils and wings, which lift it out of the water for a faster and smoother ride. The yacht is fitted with high tech navigation equipment along with an onboard ocean laboratory to monitor CO2 or carbon levels in the water and four bunks, Casiraghi and Herrmann will share one, sleeping in turns.

The toilet they are using is basically a blue plastic bucket, with a biodegradable bag that can be thrown overboard and the meals they are taking on board includes freeze-dried packets of vegan food mixed with water, which can be heated on a tiny gas stove.

The yacht’s deck and sides are adorned by state of the art solar panels and also there are two hydro-generators, which is sufficient for all the electricity need of the yacht. 

Thunberg has never sailed on such a water journey and therefore got seasickness on their first journey out of Plymouth, but said she is looking forward to the adventure. Earlier, the teenager had spent hours on trains travelling across Europe to spread her message and was relaxed with the basic conditions.