Ocasio-Cortez welcomes arrival of teen climate activist Greta Thunberg

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) welcomed the arrival of Greta Thunberg to the U.S. on Wednesday after the teen climate activist sailed to New York City across the Atlantic Ocean.

“Welcome, Greta! We are so proud of you!” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

Welcome, Greta! We are so proud of you!

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 28, 2019

Thunberg traveled to New York from the United Kingdom on a boat powered by solar panels and underwater turbines that produce electricity. She opted for the two-week journey by boat, instead of by air, to minimize her carbon footprint. 

Thunberg is set to speak at next month’s United Nations Climate Action Summit.{mosads}

She had updated her Twitter followers throughout her two-week journey, and at 4 a.m. Wednesday said she could see the “lights of Long Island and New York city ahead.”

Thunberg became a Nobel Peace Prize nominee after she began organizing a series of school strikes to call for action on climate change last year. 

Ocasio-Cortez, a freshman representative from New York, has been outspoken on Capitol Hill in fighting for climate change legislation. She’s championed the Green New Deal, an aggressive policy proposal aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Hill has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment on whether the congresswoman plans to meet with Thunberg. 

The two spoke through a video conversation in June, when Ocasio-Cortez told Thunberg she’d give her a “Queens welcome.”