Greta Thunberg will sail to US on boat with no toilet to avoid flying

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is sailing to the US on a boat with no shower or toilet to reach the US.

She wants to attend a United Nations summit and join climate protests without contributing to carbon emissions by flying.

To do so, she has been offered a place on a 60ft racing yacht fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines which produce electricity on board.

She will set sail for New York from Plymouth on Wednesday with the aim of making the trip zero-carbon.

‘I might feel a bit seasick and it’s not going to be comfortable but that I can live with,’ Thunberg told the BBC.

‘If it’s really hard then I just have to think it’s only for two weeks then I can go back to as usual,’ said the 16-year-old who will be accompanied by her father, Svante, and a cameraman on the journey.

The boat is designed for speed rather than luxury, and has blue buckets in lieu of a toilet.

Skipper Boris Hermann said: ‘Greta taking on this challenge of sailing across on a race boat with zero comfort really shows her commitment to the cause and how far she’s willing to push herself.’

Greta added: ‘By stopping flying you not only reduce your own carbon footprint but also that sends a signal to other people around you that the climate crisis is a real thing.’

When she arrives, she will join the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September and the COP 25 climate change conference in Santiago, Chile in December.