Greta Thunberg: "I hope to arrive in Madrid on time"

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"I am very happy to be able to go to the COP25 in Madrid, I hope to arrive on time," is the message with which Greta Thunberg has said goodbye after almost three months in the United States, hours before embarking on the La Vagabonde catamaran to cross the Atlantic in three weeks, if time permits. If it did not reach the opening of the climate change summit, Thunberg would at least try to be the Fridays for Future climate strike on December 6.

The Swedish activist will leave this Wednesday from the port of Hampton, in Virginia, and possibly will land in Galicia or Portugal , although she has not yet specified what her route will be. The Australian Riley Whitelum, who goes around the world with his wife Elayna Carausu and their 11-month-old son Lenn and, responded last week to Greta's call on the networks to head for Madrid if they need to catch a plane: "If you contact with me, surely we can organize something. "

A 'green' boat

Whitelum and his wife have traveled more than 65,000 nautical miles around the world since they met on the Greek island of Ios. The couple has participated in two competitions crossing the Atlantic and the Pacific, aboard their catamaran of 14.6 meters in length. Of their adventures they realize on their YouTube channel Sailing La Vagabonde, which has 1.1 million followers 3,000 "patrons" who contribute with voluntary donations.

The catamaran uses solar energy for on-board needs and can be considered as "zero emissions" , just like the Maliziza racing yacht that Greta Thunherg used on his trip from Plymouth to New York in August. Next to him will be his father, Svante, and the crew will join the British professional sailor Nikki Henderson, 26, who last year became the youngest employer in the history of the World Yacht Race Clipper Round.

"I am pleased to know that there will be someone younger than me on board," the 16-year-old Swedish activist joked, when posing with the Australian family and her 11-year-old baby. Unlike the Malizia yacht, La Vagabond has at least one bathroom and a slightly larger cabin for the five crew members.

"It was amazing to see how many people have been willing to help me," said Greta, who came to have the offer of the Spanish Government to facilitate his trip to Madrid when COP25 was moved from Chile by street riots. "I thank Riley, Elayna and Nikki for helping me complete the journey by browsing and highlighting at the same time that it is basically impossible to lead a sustainable life in today's society."

'Slow travel'

Greta Thunberg, like so many activists of the movement known in Sweden as flygskam (or "shame to fly"), refuses to catch a plane so as not to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that the contribution of a passenger on a 5,800-kilometer commercial flight between New York and Madrid amounts to about 935 kilos of CO2. Several airlines offer the option of "offsetting" emissions, but Thunberg believes that this option serves to "give us a moral license to continue with our polluting lifestyles."

Aviation contributes a total of just 2% of emissions and 14% of the global transport pie, compared to 74% of road trips. In his travels in the United States, Thunberg has chosen the option of slow travel , traveling by train whenever possible and occasionally by electric car, such as the Tesla provided by his friend Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During her stay in the United States, the activist intervened at the United Nations, participated in the climate strikes of her movement for Fridays for Future, demonstrated alongside the Sioux leaders in South Dakota, participated in a cycling race in Santa Monica and left behind of itself the newly dedicated mural in downtown San Francisco.

At her farewell in North Carolina, the activist urged young Americans to "vote and make your voice heard." "If enough people decide they've had too much, that can change everything," he said. "So don't underestimate that power."

"COP25 is extremely important and I will do my best to arrive in Madrid on time," Greta Thunberg said before leaving. "But deep down it doesn't matter if I succeed. There are countless activists who will speak and give my same message. It's not that my voice will be irreplaceable ... But I'm looking forward to sailing and returning to the ocean. This is an amazing opportunity and I'm very grateful. of going through this experience. I really hope that COP25 receives all the attention it deserves and that it serves to take real action. "

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