Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives in New York after 15-day Atlantic crossing

  • Video report by ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has set foot on dry land for the first time in two weeks as she arrived in New York City after crossing the Atlantic on a carbon-neutral yacht.

The 16-year-old left Plymouth on the zero-emissions Malizia II on August 14 to attend the UN climate summits in New York and Chile.

She was greeted by cheering crowds as she finally docked in the Big Apple after hours waiting onboard the boat in the harbour to clear US customs and immigration.

Speaking after disembarking, Greta said the reception she got was "overwhelming", admitting "the ground is still shaking for me" after the long voyage.

After stepping onto American soil, Greta took questions from the crowd. Asked about the climate crisis sceptic US President, she said Donald Trump "obviously" did not "listen to the science" on the climate emergency and urged him to do so.

She said: "As I always say to this question, if no one has been able to convince about the climate crisis, the urgency, then why should I be able to do that. So I'm just going to focus on spreading awareness and that people in general will start caring and realise how big the crisis is."

Greta passes the Statue of Liberty as she arrives in the United States. Credit: AP

The Swedish teenager decided not to travel to the conferences by plane to reduce her carbon footprint and impact on the environment.

Before she left Plymouth, Greta admitted the journey would be "challenging" for all onboard. The high-tech racing yacht was built for speed and efficiency, not comfort, and the vessel itself has no refrigerator, kitchen or toilet.

Greta and the crew also faced some bumpy conditions en route to New York, although the teenager said the trip was "surprisingly good" adding, to cheers from the crowd, that she did not feel "seasick once".

The teenager has speared headed climate crisis protests since 2018 when she started to boycott school on Fridays outside the Swedish parliament. Her campaign went on to inspire student strikes in about 100 cities worldwide.

She now brings her message to America where she will join student strikers on Friday outside the UN building where they have been protesting for six months.

Greta's urgency on the climate emergency is in no doubt and she hopes to galvanise world leaders into taking action on the "biggest crisis humanity has ever faced" when she meets them next month.

"If we don't manage to cooperate and to work together despite our differences we will fail," she said.

"So we need to stand together and support each other and to take action otherwise it might be too late. So, let's not wait any longer, lets do it now."