Escorted by a colorful flotilla from the Statue of Liberty, the sailboat docked among the yachts of the North Cove Marina, a stone’s throw from the luxurious malls and skyscrapers of Manhattan’s Financial District. 16-year-old Swedish Greta Thunberg arrived in New York on Wednesday afternoon, after two weeks of crossing the Atlantic aboard the Malizia II. The journey, which began on August 14 in Plymouth (Great Britain), ended with the applause of several hundred supporters, including many children and adolescents, who waited hours under a gray sky to welcome it. In a few months, the young Swedish activist has established herself as a leading figure in the movement against climate change. Tens of thousands of young people respond every Friday to his call to skip school to draw attention to the climate emergency.
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“Listen to science”
“The ground still trembles a little for me”, barely disembarked Greta Thunberg confessed during a short press conference. Before announcing his participation in the youth march for the climate on Friday in New York, and several militant actions before his arrival at the UN for the climate summit on September 23. “Our war against nature must end”, she said, indicating that she could admire “The power and beauty of the ocean” during the crossing, and to have been informed on the boat of the fires which are devastating the Amazon. “The climate crisis is a global crisis, the most serious crisis facing humanity”, she declared. Calling for union and mobilization, she sent a message of encouragement to the activists: “Even if all this may seem hopeless, continue: you make the difference”, she insisted.
“It’s funny how everyone asks me about Donald Trump, she answered a journalist’s question about the US president’s climate skepticism. The only thing I could tell him is listen to science. But obviously he doesn’t. If no one could convince him of the climate emergency, why was I doing it? ” Invited to the UN, Thunberg, diagnosed with Asperger’s autism at the age of 12, had refused to fly to avoid generating carbon emissions. She regretted that the attention was “Focused on [elle] and not on the problem as a whole ”. This earned her many detractors (she would be manipulated by NGOs, by her parents, by political parties …), who did not fail to mock her boat trip, several members of the crew having planned to return to Europe by plane. “But if it can help draw attention to the climate crisis, then I’ll use this opportunity”, the teenager defended herself. In a tweet, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed Thunberg had “Showed more climate leadership in one crossing of the ocean than the entire Trump administration since taking office.”
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
– Major Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 28, 2019
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«Make America Greta Again»
In the crowd, several placards hijacked President Trump’s slogan, “Make America Greta Again”. “She’s so authentic, says Alexandra, member of the organization March for Science. Greta embodies pure truth, and she doesn’t mince words in front of politicians. She gets to the heart of the matter, without any fear. ” The teenager notably marked the spirits by her dark and assertive speeches, denouncing head-on the inaction and the irresponsibility of the policies in the tribune of the 24e UN conference on climate change (COP 24) in Poland, or in front of the elected representatives of the British and French parliaments.
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“I feel very connected to Greta because like me, she is a child, notes Sophia, 13, who came from the Bronx with friends. She makes me feel powerful, gives me energy for this fight, instead of doing nothing and waiting for others to do it for me. Usually, adults don’t listen to us children when we talk about this sort of thing… ” Sophia is accompanied by Palma, a science teacher who is friend of her mother, who encouraged her students to take part in the climate strikes this year. “Greta is a source of inspiration for my students as well as for me as a teacher and as a mother, welcomes Palma. I believe a lot in this youth movement, and Greta was decisive in their commitment, their desire to be educated. This is the only way they can make informed choices, understand that there are limits to consumption, that we have to live differently, even if it’s not a very popular concept in the United States. United. And that they can elect politicians who finally carry this message, or become leaders themselves. ”
Greta Thunberg cut short the press conference. “My brain is not working well”, she apologized as she searched for his words. The young activist planned to “to rest” and “Finally, to eat fresh food”. After the United States, she is due to travel to Canada, Mexico and Santiago de Chile for COP25 in December.
Isabelle Hanne correspondent in New York
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