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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg waves from the Malizia II boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg addresses the media during a press conference in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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The Malizia II boat leaves with Climate change activist Greta Thunberg on board in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg arrives to board the Malizia II boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and skipper Boris Herrmann wave from the Malizia II boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg and the crew wave from Malizia II boat as they depart in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is on the Malizia II sailing boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg waves after she boarded the Malizia II boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg waits on a dinghy to board the Malizia II boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg gets a hug before she boards the Malizia II boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Climate change activist Greta Thunberg enters a dinghy to board the Malizia II boat in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

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Visitors have taken their cat George as Climate change activist Greta Thunberg leaves the harbour in Plymouth, England, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019. The 16-year-old climate change activist who has inspired student protests around the world will leave Plymouth, England, bound for New York in a high-tech but low-comfort sailboat.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Eco-activist Greta Thunberg sets sail for New York

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 11:08 AM ET Aug. 14, 2019

PLYMOUTH, England (AP) — Eco-activist Greta Thunberg has set sail from the English coastline for New York as part of her campaign to pressure politicians to put climate change at the top of their agendas.

The Malizia II caught the wind mid-afternoon Wednesday and the sleek sailboat sped away from Plymouth on its two-week journey.

The16-year-old activist is hitching a ride on the high-tech yacht to attend the U.N. climate summits next month in New York and in Santiago, Chile, in December. She has decided to take a year off from school to travel.

The 60-foot (18-meter) yacht is outfitted with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate electricity, allowing Thunberg to make a zero-carbon trans-Atlantic journey.

Thunberg says there will be challenges ahead, such as seasickness, but that she is looking forward to the adventure.