Cycling 8,830 km to Egypt... Climate Crisis Warning from a 72-Year-Old Female Environmental Activist

UN Climate Change Conference Parties Meeting in Egypt: Daily 80km March
Egyptian President El-Sisi, Riding Bicycle Together, Promises "Allow All Environmental Activist Protests"

72-year-old environmental activist cycled 8,800 km from Sweden to Egypt to raise awareness about the seriousness of climate change. Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] A woman activist in her 70s living in Sweden rode a bicycle for an astonishing four months to reach Egypt, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held, to raise awareness about the seriousness of climate change.

According to an AP report on the 13th (local time), Dorothy Hildebrandt (72), who lives in Katrineholm, north of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, arrived last week by bicycle at Sharm El Sheikh, a Red Sea resort in the southern Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, where the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) is taking place.

Her journey, which began on July 1 with a pink electric bicycle named after the quirky character "Miss Piggy" from the 1970s puppet show "The Muppet Show," took more than four months. During this time, she covered a total of 8,830 km across 17 countries in Europe and the Middle East, averaging 80 km per day in a grueling schedule.

Born in Kassel, central Germany, Hildebrandt moved to Sweden in 1978 following her husband. She worked in house cleaning and also received training in elderly and disabled care. Having retired about ten years ago, she is now a member of the group "Grandmothers for the Future," engaging in activities to raise awareness about climate change.

The purpose of this journey was to inform world leaders attending COP27 about the seriousness of climate change and to urge strong action to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as mentioned in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Hildebrandt emphasized, "We really must stop climate change. Even if it is inconvenient, it is absolutely necessary for the future." The determination of this septuagenarian environmental activist also captured the attention of the Egyptian leader, who has faced criticism for effectively blocking protests and suppressing human rights during the COP27 event.

On the 11th, Hildebrandt was invited by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to ride bicycles together, and according to AP, President el-Sisi promised to allow protests by all environmental activists.

Despite the arduous journey back after the COP27 event, she stated that she plans to return home in a way that minimizes carbon emissions. She will travel by bicycle from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, then to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, followed by a boat journey through Haifa in Israel and Greece.

Her beloved bicycle, which she has ridden since she was 10 years old, bears the phrase "Viking for Future and Peace." AP reported that she films herself riding the bicycle and carrying out her environmental activism for her two grandchildren and posts the videos on social media.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.