Swedish cyclist pedals to Egypt to raise climate awareness

Starting out on July 1, Dorothee Hildebrandt cycled through 17 countries, covering some 8,830 kilometres (5,487 miles), averaging about 80 kilometres a day

She has pedalled 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.

Here 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.

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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, Ms. Hildebrandt and her e-bike have become a fixture at the summit. From a friend's place where she is staying, some 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the conference venue, she bikes to the city centre every day, meeting other activists, attending events.