Tori Tsui was a long way from home. 

She was trapped with 41 other activists in a boat halfway across the Atlantic. The cabins were stifling. Some days, they crushed stale bread into the porridge. "I can't begin to express how uncomfortable it was," she later said. 

Five weeks into the three month journey, COP25, the conference they were travelling to in Chile, was relocatedThe global climate summit was relocated due to civil unrest in Chile.  to Madrid. 

The boat had passed the point of no return. The group decided to sail on to the Caribbean and attend the summit remotely. Their message, a call for sustainable travel, was heard.

Tsui did not always dream of being an activist. Growing up in Hong Kong, she was alarmed by the pollution. She studied conservation at university and embarked on a career in scientific research. 

Before she could start her PhD, Tsui realised academia was not her calling. She moved to Bristol.

Finally, during an Extinction RebellionA global environmental organisation that has organised several high-profile stunts to draw attention to climate issues., she found the answers to her questions. "I had found my niche. I was determined to tell the truth and the truth wasn't always pretty." 

Tsui has partnered with Stella McCartneyThe English fashion designer sponsored Tsui's voyage to South America. , campaigned for David Attenborough to pass over his Instagram to youth activists, co-founded the Bad Activist CollectiveA multimedia platform for climate activists to learn and share new perspectives. It originally started as a podcast.  and begun writing a book. 

Then, in 2020, the pandemic derailed everyone's plans again. In lockdown, newspapers were filled with positive stories about Covid-19 and the planet. In April 2020, daily global carbon emissions fell by 17%. Goats reclaimed the streets of Wales and dolphins swam into Istanbul. 

Tsui admits the pandemic had positives. Digital activism initiatives gained traction.

But, coronavirus made her worry about the Earth more. "My biggest concern is how deforestation has been going unchecked, how people are using Covid-19 as biological warfare against indigenous communities and how people are saying that Covid-19 is good for the planet - this is eco-fascismEco-fascism is an extreme ideology linking climate disaster to migration and overpopulation, and suggesting it can be solved by targeting vulnerable groups.  ." 

Her fears were not unfounded. Oil and gas companies won billionss in public funding to ease economic damage. In Brazil, satellite data showed loggers cleared 64% more land in April 2020 than in April 2019. 

"You can do whatever you want in the Amazon and you won't be punished," declared one non-profit director. Officials used Covid-19 as "a distraction" to allow the logging. 

Tsui has no more plans to take up sailing. Rail to the COPA campaign by Youth for Sustainable Travel encouraging sustainable travel to climate conferences., not Sail to the COP, will take her to Glasgow. 

Even when her activism leads her to difficult situations, Tsui tries to remember the words of fellow campaigner Mary Heglar: "The thing about climate is that you can be overwhelmed by the complexity of the problem or fall in love with the creativity of the solutions."

Yes. Eco-activism dominated the headlines in 2019, but it fell by the wayside when coronavirus ravaged the world. Saving the planet is no longer a top priority. Fossil fuel providers are using the pandemic as a convenient shield to hide harm.

No. We should not be so quick to dismiss the positive impacts of lockdown. Cutting carbon emissions is still vitally important. The decision of many to travel to Glasgow for COP26 is proof.