Environmental activist Greta Thunberg has been on one heck of a journey since she first went on school strike outside the Swedish parliament last year. 

The teenager has brought the realities of the climate crisis to the forefront of many people’s minds through her words and actions. She’s also published a book, collaborated with the 1975 on a song about climate change and received GQ magazine’s Game Changer award.   

But her voyage from Plymouth to New York might be her most poignant feat yet. Thunberg spent 15 days crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a zero-emissions yacht to attend the UN climate summits in America. She finally sailed into New York on Wednesday (28 August) — with some powerful words for President Donald Trump. 

“Our war on nature must end,” Thunberg told reporters shortly after arriving at her destination. “I want to thank everyone who is involved in this climate fight, because this is a fight across borders, across continents.”

When asked about Trump, she continued: “My message for him is listen to the science and he obviously doesn’t do that.”

She then responded to the news of the fires that have been raging through the Amazon rainforest, saying they are a “clear sign we need to stop destroying nature”.

 Thunberg recently said America would rank “not very high” when it comes to the nation’s climate change efforts. But New Yorkers welcomed Thunberg to America as she arrived, showing their support and serious concerns for the planet. 

Thunberg also spoke about Trump before setting off two weeks ago, saying: “Why should I waste time talking to him when he, of course, is not going to listen to me?”

She also explained why she chose to sail to New York — rather than fly — adding: “It just shows how impossible it is to live sustainably today – it’s absurd that you have to sail across the Atlantic Ocean like this to get there with no emissions.

“But I feel like since I’m one of the few people in the world who can actually do this I want to take the opportunity to do it.”

The UN climate summit takes place on 23 September and the COP25 climate conference happens in Chile during December. Thunberg will be present at both. 

Images: Getty