Teen Activist Greta Thunberg Sets Sail in Zero-Carbon Atlantic Voyage

Teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg has set sail from Britain on a trans-Atlantic voyage aboard a solar-powered racing yacht.

The Swedish founder of the school strike for climate movement told reporters in Plymouth, where her vessel was docked, that she will pay no heed to critics who have bad-mouthed her in public, including Fox News contributor Steve Milloy, a former member of President Trump's transition team, who described her on social media this week as "the ignorant teenage climate puppet."

"There'll always be people who don't understand or accept the science," she said. "I'll ignore them. Climate delayers want to shift the focus from the climate crisis to something else. I won't worry about that. I'll do what I need."

She was asked if she would meet Trump after she arrives in New York for the Climate Action Summit in September. She answered that she had no faith she could change the president's mind on climate change.

"I'm not that special," she said. "I can't convince everyone."

The 16-year-old is making the water journey with her father, a cameraman and a crew of two. Her goal is to cross the Atlantic Ocean without leaving any carbon footprint.

The 60-foot Malizia II is a racing yacht that generates power through solar panels and underwater turbines. There is no toilet or shower on board, just plastic buckets. 

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has promised the teen a warm welcome. Thunberg is taking a year off from school to travel the world warning of the ecological dangers of climate change. She also plans to attend the United Nations climate conference scheduled for early December in South America.

RELATED STORIES