After a long voyage across the ocean, Greta Thunberg is back in Europe. She will now travel from Portugal to Madrid to attend Cop 25.
Greta Thunberg has completed her crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to return to Europe. Aboard La Vagabonde, a 14-metre catamaran that departed on 13 November from Hampton, Virginia, the young Swedish activist set foot on land in Lisbon, Portugal, on the morning of Tuesday 3 December. Meanwhile, in Madrid, the second day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Cop 25, was under way.
Thunberg said she was happy to be back in Europe to attend Cop 25 after three weeks of isolation on the open sea, where she had "disconnected" from the rest of the world. "We are in the middle of a global emergency that we must address holistically" to guarantee "a future for our grandchildren and for every single inhabitant of the Earth," because "to change everything we need everyone." That is why the fight must begin now.
"We young people," Thunberg continued, "are asking leaders and politicians to listen to the science, to the climate experts. Because it is not up to us young people to present plans to keep humanity safe."
The Swedish activist had travelled to America with the aim of reaching Santiago, in Chile, where the event was originally due to be held before the Chilean government withdrew, unable to respond adequately to the protests of its own people. The decision by the United Nations and the South American government to withdraw from organising Cop had thus caught Thunberg off guard, leaving her with no choice but to find a sustainable way to return to the Old Continent. For days she had been looking for a sailing vessel, before the Australian family who own the catamaran made their offer.