If you’ve ever done something like, idk, accepted a ride on a passing snow-clearing train to go sledding, only to then be stranded in a blizzard with eight miles of icy country lanes between you and home, this news will resonate with you: i-D cover star Greta Thunberg, after making a valiant schlep across the Atlantic by zero-carbon yacht, is now in need of a similarly eco-friendly lift back.
This August, the teenage climate activist and i-D cover star successfully sailed to New York to attend a UN climate summit, where she delivered her iconic ‘How Dare You’ speech. In the months since, she’s travelled by rail and electric car to numerous rallies and events across North America, making her way towards Santiago to attend the COP25 climate summit… or that was the plan, anyway.
Deadly clashes in the Chilean capital in reaction to pervasive wage inequalities have prompted a last-minute location switch to Madrid, roughly 10,600km away — or a 13hr flight, if you’re that way inclined. Greta, however, is not. Sticking to her guns and refusing to fly given the outsized environmental impact of the aviation industry, she’s now seeking a zero-carbon hitchhike. She needs to travel from LA, where she is currently, to Spain — and all in time for the summit’s December 2nd start. Though a solution has yet to be settled on, she’s already attracted support from Spain’s ecological transition minister, Teresa Ribera, who praised her role in “raising concern, opening minds and enhancing action”. “We would love to help you to cross the Atlantic back,” Ms Ribera concluded.
Promising as that may be, Greta is still trying to find a way to get to Spain for December 2nd. Should anyone have a carbon-neutral catamaran to hand, do let us know and we’ll put you in touch.