Swedish cyclist pedals to Egypt to raise climate awareness

Swedish cyclist pedals to Egypt to raise climate awareness

Starting out on July 1, 72-year-old Hildebrandt cycled through 17 countries, covering some 8,830km, averaging about 80km a day

Dorothee Hildebrandt, 72, removes her bike helmet after arriving to the UN.climate summit COP27 venue in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Saturday. — AP

By AP Published: Sun 13 Nov 2022, 8:56 PM Last updated: Sun 13 Nov 2022, 9:18 PM

She has pedaled 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 crisscrossed 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 U.N. 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