Greta Thunberg will sail across the Atlantic to attend UN climate summits

Teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a high-speed racing yacht next month, en route to the UN climate summit taking place in New York City in September and in Santiago, Chile, in December. Thunberg, who refused to fly because of the carbon footprint associated with air travel, believes that the two upcoming climate summits are where the future of our planet will be decided.

Of course, traveling from Europe to the US without flying is a challenge, especially when cruise ships are not an option (their carbon emissions are also too high), but dedicated Thunberg found a way.

German property developer Gerhard Senft is offering the services of his high-speed, 60-foot-tall yacht named Malizia II. Built for the solo, nonstop, around-the-world Vendée Globe race, the yacht is equipped with solar panels and underwater turbines, making it completely carbon neutral. Those accompanying Thunberg are the ship’s skipper, Boris Hermann; her father; a filmmaker; Pierre Casiraghi, grandson of Monaco’s late Prince Rainier III; and actress Grace Kelly.

Photo: Greta Thunberg/Facebook

While in NYC, Thunberg will participate in several meetings and protests before traveling by train and bus to the UN climate conference in Chile in December, The Guardian reported.