‘Overwhelming’: Greta Thunberg arrives in New York after 15 days at sea

By Grace McGettigan
29th Aug 2019

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg has just landed in New York after spending 15 days sailing across the North Atlantic. Here’s what she said of her oceanic adventure

Fifteen days after setting sail from Europe, Greta Thunberg has arrived in New York City. The 16-year-old climate activist said the response to her journey has been “very overwhelming”, before thanking everyone for their support.

Speaking to the press from a pier in lower Manhattan, Greta said “the ground is still shaking for me” – which makes sense, given she spent more than two weeks on the rocky racing yacht, Malizia II.

Related: Why Greta Thunberg is my idol –
for more reasons than climate activism

“I want to thank everyone so much, everyone who is here, everyone who is involved in this climate fight, because this is a fight across borders; across continents,” she said.

The young Swede made the ‘zero carbon’ voyage to the States to show that air travel isn’t necessary; that it is possible to cut down on carbon emissions from aeroplanes. It just takes commitment.

Greta Thunberg

‘Peace and quiet’

While answering questions from journalists on the pier, Greta gave some insight into life on the racing yacht.

For example, she didn’t feel seasick, which came as a surprise, as the teen has suffered from seasickness in the past. “I didn’t feel bad at all,” she said. “I felt good even though it was a bit rough sometimes. I was extremely lucky. For me, it was really good.”

She also added that she’ll miss the tranquillity of life at sea. “The best moment of the trip… it’s so hard to pick because there are so incredibly many… But, leaving and to see all the people waving and to arrive and see all the people – and just doing nothing [out at sea].

“Sitting for hours and staring at the ocean, doing nothing, I’m going to miss that a lot. To see the beauty of it, that I’m also going to miss. Peace and quiet.”

Greta Thunberg

What happens now?

For the next few days, Greta plans to rest, relax and explore the city. Then, on Friday, she will attend a strike outside the UN, followed by an upcoming UN Climate Action Summit.

Taking to social media, she shared a photo of herself sitting on the New York subway, adding, “Finally here. Thank you, everyone, who came to see me off in Plymouth, and everyone who welcomed me in New York! Now I’m going to rest for a few days, and on Friday I’m going to participate in the strike outside the UN.”

Finally here. Thank you everyone who came to see me off in Plymouth, and everyone who welcomed me in New York! Now I’m going to rest for a few days, and on Friday I’m going to participate in the strike outside the UN. pic.twitter.com/yZ9yJHh1lZ
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) August 28, 2019