In a sign of tougher climate protection measures, a 72-year-old grandmother said she rode her bicycle from Sweden to the world climate conference in Egypt (see video above). “I was hoping to send a message to high-ranking people,” said Dorothee Hildebrandt. You have traveled more than 8000 kilometers on the route.
“If I do something that is uncomfortable, they have a responsibility to do things that are also uncomfortable and not easy,” said the Kassel-born mother of four and grandmother of two, who was born in Katrineholm, southwest of Stockholm, broken up on July 1.
“Miss Piggy”
With her pink bicycle with electric motor, which she christened “Miss Piggy”, she rode through Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and Turkey, as Hildebrandt describes. From there she took a ferry to Lebanon and continued on to Jordan before taking the final stretch to Egypt again by ferry.
Four months long journey
The four-month journey apparently also impressed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who received Hildebrandt and cycled through Sharm el-Sheikh with her. At the farewell, the 72-year-old addressed the head of state about the climate protests, which are actually banned in Egypt.
“I asked him why you can’t demonstrate on the street here, because it was quiet in Glasgow.” Al-Sisi replied that “anyone” could do that anywhere in the country. “I thought, well, that doesn’t match what I’ve read. Maybe he doesn’t know any better.”
“We pollute everything”
According to her impression, the current climate conference is essentially “a kind of lobbying”, according to Hildebrandt. “You want to show how good you are.” In the dispute over the financing of climate damage in poorer countries, rich countries in Europe and the US should “finally split up,” says Hildebrandt. “We pollute everything and the poor people get the droughts, the floods. And then we don’t even help.”
After the climate conference, to which the Egyptian government has given her an access pass, Hildebrandt wants to take a vacation – and then “drive back at least 8,000 kilometers”. In 2021, the Swede had already driven about 2,500 kilometers to the COP26 in Glasgow.
At the climate conference, representatives of nearly 200 countries want to agree on further joint steps against global warming. The conference in Sharm el-Sheikh will run until the end of the week.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
