COP27: Swedish activist, 72, cycles to Egypt to deliver climate message to world leaders
- Journey took Dorothee Hildebrandt four months to criss-cross Europe and Middle East
- The COP27 conference is being held in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh
She has pedalled thousands of miles from Sweden to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to deliver a simple message: stop climate change.
The trip took 72-year-old activist Dorothee Hildebrandt and her pink e-bike – which she fondly calls Miss Piggy, after the temperamental character from The Muppet Show – more than four months. She criss-crossed Europe and the Middle East until she arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
Her mission is to raise awareness and urge world leaders gathered at the annual UN climate conference known as COP27 to take concrete steps to stop climate change, she said. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and scientists say the amount of heat-trapping gases needs to be almost halved by 2030, to meet temperature-limiting goals of the Paris climate accord of 2015.
Since her arrival a week ago, Hildebrandt and her e-bike have become a fixture at the summit. From a friend’s place where she is staying, some 15km (9 miles) from the conference centre, she cycles to the COP27 venue every day, meeting other activists and attending events. Many are keen to take photos with her around the conference venue.
“They really have to stop climate change,” Hildebrandt said of the world leaders. “Even if it is uncomfortable.”
“It was uncomfortable for me … this long ride,” she said. But she wanted to show that if there’s a will, “you can do it.”